Whims of Witches
by Spajuch13
Summary: Fred, George, Cas and Jo are back in the second instalment of the Witches for Weasleys series. The twins are back for the next three years of Hogwarts, magic, mischief, and friends. There's adventure, romance, maybe some heartbreak and tragedy, and lots of laughter. Harry Potter only told you part of the story, now peek behind the scenes. FredxOC GeorgexOC and many more ships AU
1. 4-1 (POV George)

**AN: Hello, my dearests. Hopefully you know who I am and what you're about to read. If not: I go by 'cowriter', and I authored the story 'Witches for Weasleys', the AU story of Fred and George Weasley's time at Hogwarts through their eyes and the eyes of their friends Cas and Jo (OCs). WFW covers their first three years, and Whims of Witches tackles the next three. If you haven't read the first series yet, please go do that, as a favor to yourselves. If you're all caught up, I'm proud to present:**

Whims of Witches

Year 4 Part 1

POV George

I've done some stupid things in my life, alone and with Fred. This one idea alone could summarize my entire life- I'm never going to change. I'm proving it right now; probably topping myself for stupidest and most life threatening scheme too. Yet none of this is actually relevant, at least not next to the conversation taking place behind me.

The four of us- Fred, Cassidy, Jo, and I- we're in my dad's magically enhanced muggle car. By magically enhanced, I mean that it can fly. And by the four of us, I actually mean five- Ron's here too, but he's not actually doing much except trying to help keep Fred driving in the right direction. We're on a rescue mission, the target: Harry Potter, location: I'm not actually paying enough attention to know specifics like that. What I do know is that Mum is more than likely going to kill my brothers and I when we get back to the Burrow…that is, if we get caught.

"We're going to get caught," Cassidy mutters from behind me. I'm in the passenger's seat next to Fred, and Cassidy is right behind me. Jo is behind Fred, and Ron is in the middle of them. I don't know how we're supposed to fit another body in here, but that's a problem for when we actually procure the final body. For now I'm just focused on Cassidy's comment.

"The only way we get caught is if someone tells, and knowing you, Cassidy, you're the most likely candidate for blabbermouth," I tell her. I can't see her face, but I assume it's probably a funny sight right about now, even in the dim hours before dawn. She kicks the back of my chair with what I assume is as much force as she can muster, which probably isn't much more than what Ron could have done.

"No one's spilling the beans, and no one's getting caught, alright? Let's just focus on getting Potter," Jo says, a little roughly. She's tired- we all are. Fred and Ron and I left the Burrow not long after sunset to go pick up the girls, and then began the journey to Harry's place. No one's actually done much talking during all of this time so far, but no one's slept either- least as far as I can tell.

"Oh yeah, Mrs. Weasley surely won't notice three new people at her breakfast table in the morning," Cassidy replies sarcastically.

"It already is morning," Fred says, "and we're all tired- how much longer, Ron?"

"Another few miles- we have to move fast once we get there- the way Harry describes his aunt and uncle, I think I'd rather be living with trolls. You didn't see the one in the Dungeons last Halloween, but bloody hell, I'm really saying something when I say I'd rather be raised by trolls," Ron tells us.

I turn my neck and make eye contact with Jo- she smiles conspiratorially, and I notice Fred has the same look on his face. I can't see Cassidy but I assume she's pouting, if she's paying attention at all. We all remember our run in with the troll. It was a surprise to Fred and I when Ron let slip the adventures he'd been on over the course of last year with Harry and a girl named Hermione. They'd run into the troll in the girl's bathroom when it attacked Hermione- I felt a little guilty hearing she got attacked, knowing it was technically us who led the troll there. But besides the troll the trio had met a three headed dog, played life sized Wizard's Chess, and apparently Harry fought the Dark Lord. We were a little skeptical that the Dark Lord resurrected after like ten years of, well, being dead, to come to Hogwarts and get killed by Harry all over again, but the story checked out when Dumbledore announced Quirrel was gone again. Apparently he was hosting the dark Lord underneath that ridiculous turban he always wore. Fred and I had nearly died when we realized that over Christmas Holiday we had at one point charmed some snowballs to follow Quirrel around and hit him on the back of that turban. So if Ron's been telling the truth, Fred and I had technically fought and defeated the Dark Lord in a magical snowball fight.

Fred swerves the car around and we all get flung around as we pull up to the window of what I can only assume is the house the great Harry Potter is staying in. From the outside it doesn't look like anything to complain about- pretty big, well kept, nice in every way I can see…except one little flaw: bars on the windows. Not all the windows, just the one we flew up to. Just on Harry's room.

Fred leans out the window of the car and raps on the bars a few times with his fingers. After a minute the curtains are drawn back, and a little beaming face pops out. We all smile and make our hellos, and Ron climbs up as far as he can to explain that he's there to rescue Harry. I shove him back into his place while Harry prepares his things to leave for the year. A few minutes later we're all ready to go, except for the problem of the bars. Harry may be thin, but he can't actually climb through them.

"Just have him come out onto the lawn," Cassidy suggests, but Harry explains that his door is locked, and if we hadn't come his family would not have let him come to Hogwarts at all this year. Jo makes a little gasp and pulls a cable out of her knapsack. We all stare for a moment, but Fred eventually just shrugs and hooks the cable onto the bars and the back of the car, revs the engine, and we rip the bars right off of the house. Harry tries to climb in, but yelling erupts from the house, and a fat hand grips the boy by the ankle- his uncle, trying to pull him back into the house. Everyone is screaming and grunting, when Cassidy leans onto her belly, hanging out of the car, and bites the pudgy wrist of Harry's uncle. He wails and releases Harry, and Fred floors it. Cassidy is shrieking a bit as we go, trying to get her top half and Harry's bottom half safely into the car. It does happen, and everyone sits in silence for a good five minutes.

"You…bit him," Harry finally says, deadpan. Cassidy huffs, as if annoyed, and the rest of us erupt in laughter.

After that there's no tension. Ron and Harry are in their own little world talking and catching up, leaving Fred, the girls, and I to do the same. Eventually and none too surprisingly the conversation turns to Quidditch, and this year's upcoming matches. Gryffindor won last year, the first time after a long era of Slytherin domination. I bring up the teams and tryouts and the usual stuff, but Jo gets real quiet.

"You alright?" I ask her. Even Fred turns his head off the…sky…to see what's the matter. It's not like Jo to get quiet during Quidditch talk.

"I'm fine…I guess I just don't really wanna talk about Quidditch right now…" she whispers. The car stops suddenly, and everyone lies forward. I glare at Fred, thinking he stopped the car in shock, but I realize we're home. He lowers us to the Burrow and we park the car, unload, and try to sneak into the house.

Admittedly, Cassidy was correct in her prediction of the situation, although that was in no way helpful when Mum is screaming at the top of her lungs at me, Fred, and Ron about all of the laws we broke and a long list of things we risked, including life, limb, and expulsion. Jo, Cassidy, and Harry sat on the couch silently; Jo watching everything play out, Cassidy looking into her lap, and Harry looking around the house in awe.

Eventually we calm Mum down, and she switches from scolding Mum to nurturing Mum, honing in not on any of her children, but mostly on Harry. Hearing about his plight at his uncle's house had tugged on her heartstrings, and seeing just how scrawny a child he is probably sent her into overdrive. She called down the rest of the family and set places for everyone at the table and started to feed us all. Once we were all into the meal she finally came to her senses enough to ask me and Fred to properly introduce our friends. By properly, she probably meant she wanted a detailed life history. Knowing Jo, she'd get _a_ detailed life history; there just wouldn't be any truth to it. Knowing Cassidy, she wouldn't even get a proper full name.

"So loves, tell me all about yourselves- and tell me what kind of trouble the twins are getting into at school," she asks them. Cassidy, who's eyes haven't left her lap since entering the Burrow, shyly turns her head to Jo, who looks at my mom smiling.

"No trouble at all, Mrs. Weasley. I'm Jolene, but call me Jo. I do Quidditch with George, I'm also a beater," she says with a very un-Jo like composure.

"Beater, Jolene? Don't hear about too many female beaters these days. Congratulations! Tell me, what do you think of Oliver Wood not that he's captain?" My dad asks. And, returning to a more familiar version of Jo, she begins blushing uncontrollably, but for no apparent reason other than the question, which wasn't really even about her.

"He's- erm- he's very good. But I really miss having you around, Charlie," she replies, stumbling through the whole sentence. Cassidy turns her head again, this time in a bit of shock. Charlie laughs and makes a few comments, filling Jo in on his new job.

"But really, tell us about Oliver. Should I be sending him a strongly worded letter against driving the team into the ground with daily practices and outrageous drills?" Charlie asks Jo, and again she's at a bit of a loss for words.

"Well, whatever he's doing, it's obviously working, right? I mean, Gryffindor beating out Slytherin for the first time in what, decades? Wood's obviously doing something right," Cassidy blurts out. All eyes go to her, and I notice she pales slightly, but not dramatically like the way Jo blushes.

"You're Slytherin, aren't you dear? With Fred?" my mom asks her. She gives half a nod before breaking herself out of her odd shyness.

"That's right, ma'am. It's a wonderful house, and you've got a wonderful boy in Fred- not to say your other boys aren't fantastic, but I'm a little biased I guess," she says with a small smile. She's trying to be funny? Fred and I shared a look for a second before aiming our gazes at her, but she just looks back into her lap.

Fred and I fill in the gaps for the oddly quiet Jo and Cassidy, and the rest of the meal goes normally. We clean up, finish packing, and before we know we're on our way to Diagon Alley and Hogwart's Express. Cassidy recovers from her acute-onset introversion once we get to Diagon Alley. She never gives us a real explanation for her behavior, but we're sort of too busy to care anyway. Jo, on the other hand, is getting weirder and weirder the closer we get to our departure time. We don't exactly have much time or energy to confront her about, and Fred and I secretly decide to do it on the train, as soon as we get the chance. I assume Cassidy will be on board- she seemed to be as surprised as Fred and I. Something's going on, and I'm far too curious and meddlesome not to find out what it is.

 **AN: Yes, so annoying, me again. I apologize for double dipping in the direct address apartment. Just here to say I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will continue reading as I continue to update, which I promise I will (though I don't have a schedule yet figured out).**

 **Until then,**

 **-cowriter**


	2. 4-2 (POV Jo)

**Year 4 Chapter 2 (POV Jo)**

Cas is staring. Actually, they all are, but I'm really only worried about Cas. Her stare is the kind that is so used to me blushing that it only sees the reason behind the blushing, and today is definitely not the day for her to peek behind the curtain.

I've been looking forward to this day all summer: the day we go back to Hogwarts; thing is, Hogwarts isn't exactly what I'm so excited about. Today is the day I see Oliver again- the day I'm going to kiss Oliver. I know just how petty it sounds, and how unnervingly girlish and how very unlike me it is, but that's how I feel. And Cas may be seconds away from ruining the whole thing. See- I never told Cas about Oliver. I never told anyone about our secret meeting after a final one-on-one practice on the Quidditch pitch. Never told her how we were just talking when I bumped his shoulder, and he bumped back, and I started laughing and he started laughing and then he went to kiss me.

Of course, if I had told her the story, that's where it would have ended. I probably wouldn't have mentioned the fact that I turned away and probably scalded his hand from blushing so much. Cas does not and will never need to know that.

"What is it?" she whispers to me as we get on the train. At least she's being relatively discreet. I think she can tell it's something seriously, at least in my mind. I shake my head and push through the streams of people trying to find spots on the train. I kick myself for not making more specific plans with Oliver- I've had nightmares about meeting in the Great Hall and him ignoring me, and even more nightmares about the same exact thing, only ending in a kiss. I didn't think it was physically possible to blush in your sleep, but this summer proved me wrong.

Cas points over my shoulder to an empty train car, so we all file in- me, Cas, and the twins. They've been staring at me too, ever since I met their parents over breakfast. Apparently the fact that I can be an impressively mature teenager shocked them, almost as much as finding out that Cas is ridiculously shy around adults outside of the Hogwarts teaching staff.

The twins and Cas start talking about something, but I don't pay attention. I need to find a way to get away from them, or get them away from me, so I can find Oliver and we can have our moment. But is the train really the right place for this? I feel myself starting to sweat, torn between wanting to get the damn thing over with, and wanting to do it just right. Goddamn hormones. I'm not this girly, ever...well, except when it comes to Oliver.

The trolley comes around and, in her usual fashion, Cas buys far too many sweets for the four of us to eat on the ride to school, but we try anyway. This kind of takes my mind off things, and I get sucked into the conversation. We're talking about Harry Potter, and the awful family he's been living with.

"Can't believe he hasn't gone completely mental," George says with a shake of his head. I can't tell if he's being genuine or just a little sarcastic- the kid apparently had some wild rule-breaking adventures last year with the twins' younger brother and some girl Cas has a vendetta against.

"Yeah, why do you hate her so much?" I blurt out when the girl comes up. Cas's face gets all contorted with contempt, which is kind of funny.

"The girl's a pretentious ass" she mutters, and Fred starts cracking up.

"What?" Cas challenges, and Fred holds up his hands.

"Just saying, I think you two are more alike than you'd ever admit," he says with a wink, and Cas looks at him with a mixture of shock and rage. George and I share a confused glance, but neither of our friends care to elaborate.

Finally George switches the conversation to something else- to who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be, and I zone in and out. It's my favorite class, and I am curious about who's going to teach it since apparently the last guy was He Who Must Not Be Named. But when it comes down to it, I don't care much who's in the front of the room as long as the material is interesting, adventurous, and occasionally dangerous.

"I heard Snape's still trying for the position," Fred says. This was the wrong thing to say- it sends Cas off on a tangent about how much she loves Potions class and how well Professor Snape teaches and some other boring stuff. I can tell by the way everyone's eyes glaze over that I'm not the only one who couldn't care less. The rest of us hate Snape- well, I don't actually know about Fred, being Slytherin and all, but George definitely hates him too. He's a tight ass who assigns projects that are way too hard, especially when I can't cheat off of Cas.

Luckily Fred jumps on Cas's toes as soon as she takes a breath, and flips the conversation 180 degrees to Quidditch. This shuts Cas up on the spot, but I notice she's not completely tuned out…she's…paying attention? I'm about to make a comment when George brings up Oliver. Just hearing his name and I flush like no one's business.

"What's wrong, Jo? You train sick?" George asks me. I mentally sigh with relief, knowing they haven't secretly figured out my secret. I shake my head and say it's nothing, but in reality I do get hit hard with a wave of nausea- anticipation. It's the only thing I can think of now, and unless the train somehow defies magical laws and goes off the rails, I'm either going to burst or spill the beans.

"I think we should change into our robes," I blurt out. My three companions look at me with a mixture of curiosity and concern, but Cas slowly nods her head and goes to get up. I let all of them go and follow a few steps behind, in no way planning to go change. I look inside every car we pass with growing anxiety and a hint of despair as I don't recognize any of the passengers as the one person I need to see.

And then I see him, and he looks up and sees me. I feel myself stop, and a smile spread across my face. He beams at me and excuses himself from his conversation, and I make a gesture with my head telling him to follow me. I double back to the train car I know is now empty, and then I wait. And wait. And wait, staring out the window. I know it's barely a few seconds, but I swear I'm waiting an hour.

And then I feel him grab my braid and give it a playful tug, and I turn around and look up at him. It's like time is a rubber band- was stretched out and slow a second ago, but when he tugged my hair it snapped, and now he's grabbing my shoulders and leaning down into me and we're kissing- we're kissing! He tastes like salted caramel and I can't get enough. Then he pulls back, and I gasp.

"Hey, ferret," he says with a little laugh, "Sorry- guess I didn't really give you a chance to turn away this time,"

"No problem," I say. I nearly bite my tongue off for sounding so stupid, but it's irrelevant because at that moment I see past Oliver's shoulder to three faces: my three companions who should still be changing.

Cas throws the sliding door open and Oliver turns around with a jerk. Oliver is a little taken aback by the blank stares, so he turns to me and tells me he'll see me later, tousling my hair. He slips out and the others come in, plopping down and just staring at me.

"That was…Oliver?" Fred finally asks. I nod with a stupid grin, and Fred starts laughing. George snaps out of his shock and hits Fred hard on the arm.

"What the hell, Jo? Why- did he- are you?" George stammers.

"He kissed me, George. We're dating now. Get used to it," I say, slightly annoyed but mostly proud of myself. For the second time today I'm coming across as the most mature of the four of us. Of course, the twins don't really see it that way. George goes off on me about how stupid I am, and about how I'm too young to be dating, especially someone as old as Oliver. Fred, once he catches his breath from laughing so hard, eventually does agree with his brother. And then I'm forced to sit there getting verbally assaulted. I wasn't expecting a party in my honor when they found out, but I wasn't exactly expecting this either.

"Tell her, Cassidy! Tell her how stupid she's being! How Oliver is way too old, and not even her type and how she's just being a bloody idiot!" George commands. And then there's silence, and I realize that Cas hasn't actually said anything yet, which surprises me. In all of my nightmares she was ready to murder me for this. Oliver too, but right now she doesn't even look mad.

"Why should I? It's her life, and I mean- she's not too young-" Cas begins to mutter.

"What?!" George explodes, "Are you- are you defending her?"

"Maybe I am," she bites back. And then there's a change in the air. Both of the twins switch the way they're facing- from looking at me to her.

"Look at you, Cas," Fred laughs, "Never thought you'd stoop so low. Supporting such…moronic behavior?" He's mocking her- taunting her. She pales and is immediately on the defensive.

"I'm not- this isn't-" she tries, but now it's two on one.

"By god, Fred, I think we've gotten to her- we've corrupted the uncorruptaable!" George proclaims, and the twins share a high five and more laughter. Cas, on the other hand, is growing more and more confused and defensive.

"You haven't corrupted-"

"Don't deny it! You're one of us, whether you like it or not. You try to pass off as so mature, but you're just as bad as-" Fred teases

"What are you- we're talking about Jo! She's the one being stupid!" Cas tries, but I'm comfortably sunken into my seat, enjoying how the tables have turned.

"Not so fast there, Cas! This is about you now! How you're ever so…"

The taunting and mocking goes on, the boys getting more bold and flamboyant, and Cas growing increasingly more distraught for the remainder of the train ride. I'm left out of the conversation, but I'm more than comfortable with that. I have a lot to think about now; I'm not a single woman any more.

* * *

 **AN: What? Another update so soon? Call it my own impatience...or guilt...whatever floats your boat. On a practical level I remember that Tuesday was the usual update day, and so I'll try to stick to Tuesdays. Who knows, maybe I'll get impatience again soon. Please keep reading, spread the word about the story's return, and review if the spirit so moves you. Thanks much, darlings.**

 **-cowriter**


	3. 4-3 (POV Fred)

**Year 4 Chapter 3 (POV Fred)**

For three years I've been trying and failing to get used to being a bit of an outcast in my family- the only Slytherin. My last little bit of hope died earlier this year when Ginny was sorted into Gryffindor- but that's not quite true…I lost hope last year with Ron. I've known from the get-go Ginny would be Gryffindor. And don't get me wrong- I love Slytherin. I love the unquestioning loyalty, the cold honesty; I love having Cas with me, and being a beater on the Quidditch team. But at the end of the day, I haven't been able to get over the fact that I'm more or less alone. Coming from a big family, a Gryffindor dynasty so to speak, not even Cas can fill the hole I feel being alone.

"You gotta talk about it," Cas whispers. I turn my head and look at her- she's so much shorter than I remember- I have to physically look down to look her in the eyes. And right now, her eyes are big and wet with concern. I look away before she can convince me to answer. Now isn't the time anyway- I look up to Lockhart and Snape, who are standing on a giant risen platform. The dueling club meeting is beginning.

"Don't ignore me!" she hisses.

"What's the matter?" George asks from the other side of Cas. I shake my head and make a comment about how short Cas is. George laughs, but Cas doesn't find it quite so amusing. She shuts up for a little bit, and we all pay attention to our instructors. They're giving a reintroduction to Dueling Club- a place where we can learn to defend ourselves. I don't know why Snape's here, but I get the other guy- Lockhart. He's our new instructor for Defense against the Dark Arts. Problem is, he seems like a total tool. He's some big time author and completely self obsessed. The majority of the girls in the school love him, but the rest of us can't stand him- luckily for me Cas finds him unbearable too. I don't know about Jo- things have been strained with her all this year, ever since the train ride…

"Talk to me, you bloody ididot," Cas whispers again, more forcefully this time, but I ignore her. Apparently she doesn't get the hint, because she starts stomping on my foot repeatedly and with growing force. It doesn't hurt- she's about as heavy as a stuffed animal- but it is annoying.

"Quit it!" I hiss down at her.

"No! Four years, Fred Weasley- four years I've waited for you to open up to me about being the only one of your family in Slytherin. I've been damned patient. And now this? It's time you talk to someone, and I know you haven't told George yet, so-" I elbow her, thinking it will hit her in the side, but as short as she is it hits her in the arm, and she yelps. A demonstration is going on up on the platform though, so no one notices.

"What do you want me to say?" I ask desperately. She just glares up at me, rubbing her shoulder resentfully. I know what she wants me to say. She knows I know. I sigh.

"I understood it, okay?" I try. It's close enough to what she wants, right? Wrong. The glare intensifies.

"Dammit, Cas. Fine. I'm a parslemouth okay? I can understand snakes," I breathe vehemently, not wanting anyone but her to hear. Her eyes soften after I say it, and her arm drops. She kind of leans into me, her head up against my shoulder. And in an inexplicable way, it's comforting. I got it off my chest. I can speak to snakes. At the last dueling club meeting some things went awry between Harry Potter and a Slytherin twerp Cas has a love/hate thing with- Malfoy, and all of the sudden Harry was up on the dueling platform talking to a snake in some guttural language. Everyone was shocked…but me. I don't know how, but I sort of understood what Harry was trying to say to the snake- not clearly, but I got the gist. When Cas made it clear it was just me, I kept my mouth shut, and she's been pestering me ever since. A Parsletongue. It's not a good thing to be, but some people say it's a pureblood thing. And admittedly, I am pureblood.

Snape keeps demonstrating some spells and Cas stops leaning on me, trying to get a better view. She doesn't need one, we both know- she's the most proficient spellcaster our year. She probably knows as much about dueling as any seventh year, and she might be able to beat them too. What she lacks in physical stature she more than makes up for in magical power. She whispers something to George that I can't hear and he laughs, making a motion to his other side as if to pass along the joke- and stops abruptly. He was reaching for Jo I think, but she's not here. She doesn't spend too much time with us anymore, not now that she's got a boyfriend in Gryffindor Keeper Oliver Wood. And it's none of my business, but I hate her for it just a little bit, for the worst possible reason: now that she's gone, George is getting closer to Cas. He spends more time with us when it would normally just be me and Cas; he passes notes to her in Slytherin/Gryffindor classes. Last year Lee let slip that George might have wanted to make a move on her, and he denied it, but now that Jo's spoken for…

"Alright, volunteers?" Lockart's voice booms out, getting everyone's attention. A couple of giddy young girls' hands shoot up, but Lockhart overlooks them.

"How about you two, there- Zocchi, Wood? A little friendly competition between teammates should prove interesting, eh?" I look over at George- he's not happy. Cas, on the other hand, is trying to hide a smirk.

"What did you do?" I ask her. Now she doesn't try to hide her amusement, but shakes her head and nods at the platform, where the happy couple is getting set to duel.

"Now, Miss Jolene, Mister Wood is older than you, but I think a bright young witch like you can take him- just remember everything you've learned from me- the best teacher you could ask for," Lockhart instructs in a booming voice. A couple of girls swoon, a couple of boys groan, and Jo blushes. I'm about to ask Cas what's going on , but the duel starts.

It starts off normal enough- a couple of stunning spells, a basic deflect here and there. But then Wood does something odd- he does a spell that sort of just tugs on Jo's ponytail; she laughs, and he winks. Then it just gets weird…

"I…are they flirting?" I ask Cas, but she's too shocked to respond. The two keep going, only half-dueling, but after Oliver sends a gust of wind to blow up Jo's robes, Cas starts faux-retching, and Snape calls off the duel.

"How about some people who will take this assignment seriously," Snape growls, "Walker! Mathers! Up here, now!" I look down at Cas, who's shocked for a second, but then she pushes her way through the crowd to climb up onto the platform.

"Mathers?" George asks me in shock. Miles Mathers- Slytherin Quidditch Captain and Keeper. In essence, a Slytherin version of Oliver Wood. He's tall, olive-skinned with shoulder length, slick brown hair, and a stubbly chin. He's known as the toughest kid his year; rough, not a rule follower, no mercy, no pity. I'm not sure even Cas stands a chance.

"Let's just say, someone is about to die up there," is all I can get out.

They bow, neither taking their eyes off the other, and without missing a beat they skip right past trying to disarm each other and go to stun. Everyone is gasping and flinching- someone's going to get hurt. I've never seen Cas so focused or so determined- she wants to win. Miles lands the first blow, catching Cas on the shoulder I had already hit, and I see her face contort with pain. Lockhart goes to stop them, but Snape holds him back. Cas sends a spell I've never seen before- creating a cloud of green smoke around Miles, and then she rapid fires spells into the cloud. The smoke clears, and Miles is suspended by his ankles, dangling a few feet above the platform- but he's not done. It looks like he can't move his arms, but he doesn't need them. He mouths something and Cas gets blown off her feet. Miles falls to the ground, the spell broken, and they both scramble to their feet. It's like watching a dance- lunging, dodging, spinning, and casting spells all the while. Finally Miles psyches Cas out and lands a disarming spell- her wand goes flying and he catches it with a smirk. I've never seen so much contempt and rage in such a small person as Cas in this moment. Snape calls the end of the duel and Miles and Cas shake hands. They move to go back to their spots in the crowd, but Snape grabs Cas by the shoulder.

"You're not done until you're victorious, Walker. Another volunteer? How about someone her year? Weasley- no, the Gryffindor, George. Get up here," Snape orders. We had both almost lunged to get up there with Cas, not for the sake of battling her but because she looks beat up pretty bad. I have to stop as George goes up, but before he gets the chance to make sure she's okay, Cas backs up to her end of the platform and bows. George hesitantly follows suit. She's in her zone, and that may not be a good thing for my brother.

They begin. Cas is tired, but makes the first move anyway- a jinx that simply causes George to trip and fall to his knees. She follows up with a disarming spell, but George rolls out of the way and sends a counter that hits her in her injured arm. I nearly scream at him, but then I see something- a light in both their eyes. Cas smiles this menacing smile, bearing her teeth like a wolf, and George smiles back. He gave her her second wind. And then things heat up- literally. After a few stunning spells are casted and deflected, Cas throws her arm as if she's holding a whip, and a stream of fire shoots from her wand, striking at George's feet. Everyone screams, but George, shocked but quick on his feet, sends a stream of water at Cas. He had a little more leeway to hit his mark without risk of murdering her, and she gets soaked. George is laughing now, knowing how much Cas despises water and getting wet. He doesn't get to laugh for long- Cas sticks her arm straight out to the side, and everyone's expecting another fireball or something, but instead a candlestick floating around the wall comes shooting forward and hits George in the gut. He falls to his knees again, and Cas goes to disarm him once and for all. But George knew he was beat, so he waved his wand one last time, and a thundercloud opened above Cas's head and started downpouring. She shrieked in surprise and didn't catch George's wand as it came flying at her. Nevertheless, Snape calls the duel: Cas is victorious, and can leave the podium. Twenty points to Slytherin. Also, twenty points from Slytherin for her dangerous stunts and rule breaking. So we broke even.

Cas is still getting rained on, so before coming back into the crowd she goes ever to George to shake his hand, then pulls him into a very wet but relatively genuine hug. Everyone claps, and Snape waves his wand, stopping the rain, sending the candlestick back to its place, and cleaning up the water and scorch marks on the dueling platform. The meeting is over, but everyone is still clapping and laughing and taking. I look at George and Cas coming back towards me, no longer hugging, but I notice someone behind them- Miles Mathers. He looks like he's giving Cas a death stare, and my stomach drops, worrying if she's set of a dangerous chain of events.

AN: Happy Tuesday, duckies. Hope you liked the chapter; plenty more on their way. Please do try to Spread the word about Whims of Witches and even Witches for Weasleys. I'd love it if more people were enjoying the story. Thanks for everything Yours-

-cowriter


	4. 4-4 (POV Cas)

Year 4 Chapter 4 (POV Cas)

Lee is in commentator's heaven: first match of the season is always the biggest for multiple reasons- first off, it's the first of the season, so everyone comes out for it; it's also Slytherin against Gryffindor, the biggest rivalry in the school. To top it all off , now Lee has a viable excuse for making as many inappropriate sexual remarks as he wants, because two Gryffindor players made absolute fools of themselves flirting during a dueling club meeting. One of those two players was, of course, Jo; the other, her newly beloved, Oliver Wood. I wretch just thinking about it.

Of course, I can't say much about looking ridiculous for a number of reasons including the fact that Lee and I look like the Christmas kids wrapped up in our House colors crammed in the commentator's box together even though it's only November; also, I may have been a little too passionate during my own duels at the meeting…I'm not going to go there right now. Instead I focus on the match.

I have to say, for once, I'm not completely sure I want Slytherin to absolutely annihilate Gryffindor- I don't know much about Quidditch, but last time I checked, you're supposed to get a spot on the team because you're talented, not because you buy the entire team state of the art brooms. However, the team captain, Miles Mathers, obviously disagrees with this logic, because I'm currently watching the Malfoy boy whizzing around the pitch as Slytherin Seeker, while everyone else, including Fred, whizzes around on brand new brooms.

I don't know how Fred feels about the whole thing- he's had it rough ever since he got sorted into Slytherin, but recently things just keep getting harder- his sister was sorted into Gryffindor this year, confirming he's the only Slytherin in the family; he also recently came to the realization that he may or may not be able to speak to snakes. I mean- he said it wasn't clear, and that could either be truth or just fear and prejudice talking, but I think he might just have the gene in him. I'd kill to have it, which is a relatively unpopular opinion, but talking to snakes? That would be a cool party trick.

"Aaand- The shot is blocked by Wood! Yes! To Pollick- ooh! Not only does Zocchi have the Keeper's heart- she also has the Quaffle! GO GO GO!" Lee screams into the mic. I take the liberty of hitting him, saving McGonagall the effort. He laughs me off and keeps the commentating and the sexual harassment of the players coming.

I change my focus from Slytherin to Gryffindor for just one second, and I almost regret it immediately. It's not hard to find George, between the orange hair and the giant bat he's waving around, but it's even easier to see Lee's last comment made him miss a beat, setting off a series of events culminating in Slytherin scoring again. Wood clears it, screaming at George and everyone else about keeping their heads in the game. He's so angry he can still be heard over all of Lee's remarks.

So now Gryffindor is on the offensive, and they're moving fast. My eyes involuntarily flick to the goalposts; to Mathers. I still have a huge bruise from where he stunned me on the arm, not to mention plenty other cuts, scratches, and bumps from our not so little encounter. He really didn't show me any mercy. Good. I didn't want his mercy. I stick my tongue out at him, even though I know he can't see me.

Fred and George haven't left my side since the duel, and Fred keeps telling me to watch out- apparently he thinks Mathers has it in for me. Was glaring or something when me and George had finished our duel and George was helping me back towards Fred. I told them both they were being paranoid idiots, which is ironic considering they usually say that about me, but my stomach dropped when they first told me they noticed Mathers noticing me. I mean, I got lucky in our duel that it was relatively relegated by Snape and Lockhart, but I can't imagine taking him on outside of that setting, and if Fred and George are as stupid as I know they are, they'll say something or do something to piss him off. I really don't need that right now.

What I need is to get Jo away from Oliver and back with George- well, I guess I can't say 'back', considering they've never technically been a thing. George is messing everything up- we've been getting closer and I know for a fact it's messing with Fred, but it's also psyching me out. If I didn't know better I'd think he was into me, but I do know better. I think. Damn both of them- all of them, in fact. Friends are stupid. Lee is the best I've got, and we're still on thin ice after my little incident last year. We haven't quite cleared it up yet, but he's back to being chill around me, which I think is a pretty good sign. He's the last string of hope I've got in the benefits of friendship.

A Gryffindor chaser is going in for a goal, so Fred rightfully sends a bludger his way; George is prepared for it and in a moment of the sheerest and most painful stupidity, he deflects the bludger…

…at Miles…

It nails him in the side and he slams into the goalpost with a horrible noise- a mixture of bones cracking and his breath leaving his lungs. I can't believe it- he didn't- he can't. I can't look- no, I can't look away. I stop myself from jumping, but I can't help but gasp his name, "Miles!"

Lee turns at me, shocked for half a second, but this actually needs to be reported- Miles regained control of his broom and is waving people off- he's going to keep playing. It's a stupid decision, but he's the best keeper we've got. The match continues but it's only after Gryffindor scores again that Lee regains that edgy humor of his.

"And Mathers lets another one by! He can't catch the Quaffle, but seems to have caught the heart of my good friend Cas here. He better step up his game if he wants to hold her interest- or that ass- anytime soon."

He did not. I'm frozen in my seat, can't even turn to look at Lee, let alone slap him silly. It's official- no more friends. Never again.

"What's the matter, Cas?" Lee whispers to me, "Look- it was mean to be funny- the crowd loved-" I hold up a hand and he stops. I bite my lip in anger but say nothing. He just laughs, and I'm about to find it in me to punch him when he nearly chokes trying to make an announcement-

"That bludger- it's dogging Harry Potter! Rogue bludger!" He's not lying- a bludger is chasing Harry, as if it's got some mission to bring him down. And then it does- Harry's rolling in the dirt and the thing is trying to slam down on him. The ref intervenes and there's a lot of hustle and bustle on the pitch.

Thing is- Harry did the unthinkable two years in a row- he caught the bloody snitch. Sacrificed his body for the victory. The match is technically over- Gryffindor won, again. The staff is clearing the roaring crowd out of the stadium as fast as possible while a few Professors go to Harry's aid. The Gryffindor players are all descending and huddling around their fallen teammate, and the Slytherin players are retreating out of the stadium slowly in defeat. All but Mathers.

Lee jumps out of the box to go see Harry- they've gotten friendly in the past year, and I'm left alone. Miles flies over and hovers a few feet away from me, glaring down. I lock eyes with him, and he mouths something. I gasp as I feel all of my muscles contract- I'm paralyzed and getting hung upside down magically.

"How the tables have turned, Miss Walker," he says with a bestial smirk. My heart is pounding, which is made worse by all of the blood rushing to my head. I try to move, but I can't. My wand is tucked away, but I can't get to it, and I'm nowhere near ready to try casting spells without it. I'm trapped.

"That was quite a rude remark that commentator made, care to explain?" He asks.

"I'm trying to shake my head, but apparently I'm immobile," I snap.

"Not so fun when you're the one upside down, is it? Let's see what we can do about that," he whispers the last part with a glint in his eyes, and I brace myself as best I can. He floats in close to me as graceful as anything, even with a broken rib, and kisses me softly; biting my lip just a little bit before he pulls back.

"Guess the secret's out," my boyfriend whispers in my ear before letting me down.


	5. 4-5 (POV Cas)

**Year 4 Chapter 5**

 **POV Cas**

Hogwarts really knows how to celebrate the Holidays- the entire castle is in full Christmas swing- from knights with Santa hats to giant trees and even Peeves is in the spirit; throwing red and green stink bombs into classrooms and cackling out perverted versions of classic carols. And I don't know about the older years, but fourth years know how to celebrate too- we've somehow coordinated a party for everyone our year in a room usually dedicated to study. Now that the term is technically over and the majority of students will be going home in the next couple of days, no one really needs to study anything.

And despite all of this, I'm not feeling fully cheery or merry or anything of the sort. Here I am at a party, yet I have not one of my closest friends by my side- granted, I only have four of them. Problem is, three are mad at me, and I'm mad at the fourth. I'm not here alone- I have plenty of friends from various classes and activities, but they're not my best friends.

The somewhat condensed version of the series of events that led to this situation is as follows:

Last year Professor Snape caught me succeeding in a very difficult potion without authorization or supervision. He called me back a week later without giving me a reason, and upon my return I was offered a sort of apprenticeship. I have since studied advanced Potions under him on a weekly basis, in addition to my regular fourth year class, and was given the task of tutoring upperclassmen.

My first pupil, so to speak, was a fifth year by the name of Miles Mathers: a Quidditch expert lacking in Potions skills. I knew immediately this was Snape's way of humiliating the kid, who took his frustration out on me for the first couple of sessions with verbal abuse and threats of bodily harm. I did not take this well, and may or may not have drugged him before a Quidditch practice, causing hallucinations and a visit to the Infirmary. I met him there with the antidote, and somewhat surprisingly earned his respect.

From then on the threats subsided, but the verbal abuse became a two way street. His grades went up and the need for a tutor went away after a month or so. And then, during my first session with a new pupil I was suppose to humiliate for Snape, _he_ showed up. He waited through the entire session, and at the end asked me to make him something to teach an enemy of his a lesson. I refused, so he offered an exchange- the potion for a day in Hogsmede carte blanche. I took the offer then didn't deliver on the potion. I thought it was funny, he didn't. He then began to terrorize my new pupil. I did not find this funny, but he did. I finally gave him the potion, and in return he promised to leave my pupil alone.

Our next session went well, but as I left at its conclusion, I was met once again by Mathers. He asked for another day at Hogsmede, and I told him I wasn't making any more deals. He said he knew, and then we were dating, just like that.

Very boring, nothing to make a big deal out of, right? Well, we were cautious anyway- neither of us wanted to be caught with the other; him because I am so much younger, me because he plays Quidditch and I have a façade to maintain about hating such things. Well, he taught me to appreciate the sport, which backfired when Lee noticed all of the attention I was paying, especially to Miles's keeping skills. And, with an ill-timed and incredibly inappropriate comment, Lee unknowingly outted us to the entire school. We started dating last April, so it's been awhile now, and Miles was perfectly fine going public. We're not like Jo and Oliver- they're all about the PDA. Miles and I hang out when we can, and we do our own thing when the other person is busy or needs space. We're casual like that.

Nevertheless Fred, Jo, and George all made quite a big deal out of the whole thing- Jo went ballistic on me, more angry that I kept it a secret than anything else. Fred is pissed just in general- he won't talk to me, so I haven't gotten a specific complaint; however, I assume it's identical to the rant he gave Jo after finding out about Oliver. George is the only one I apologized to- I don't know why I felt the need to, but I did. He looked…sad, when he found out. Betrayed in a more personal way than Jo did. But at the end of the day the specifics don't matter, because none of them have spent voluntary time with me since finding out.

Lee is a different story- I'm avoiding him. Call me petty, but I'm angry he exposed me, albeit accidently, through a public and very unnecessary sexual comment.

So I'm here talking with friends- I see Fred in his own group of people, mostly Sytherin but a couple of other kids I recognize as the Divination enthusiasts. George and Lee are with the other fourth year Gryffindor Quidditch players and some groupies, but Jo hasn't arrived yet. I try to convince myself I don't care- but it's been a month, and I really really miss all of them. At the same time my pride is convincing me I can hold out longer than they can. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

I hear a couple of hoots from across the room, signally someone's come in the room and we all look over- it's Jo…with Oliver…

"This is a party for fourth years only," "It's a miracle we got all the Houses together; is she trying to ruin everything?" "They're such a cute couple though," "You mean disgusting, with all the flirting they do." Whispers swirl around the room and around my own little group. Everyone is surprised, but me not so much- Jo is stupid, this was a stupid thing to do; it only makes sense that Jo did it.

I break off from the group to go get some hot chocolate from a table of snacks in a separate little room usually reserved for silent study, and I watch the hidden chaos erupt in all of the little conglomerations of people as they talk about the intrusion from an older student, and the traitor who brought him. I lean inside the doorway between the rooms and just watch; I also half-notice I'm standing under a strand of mistletoe. If Miles were here, I wonder, would he kiss me? I usually hate such trite traditions, but maybe he could change my mind. My eyes flick to Jo and Oliver- maybe it's good I hang here awhile and block the only visible excuse for them to start making out.

Then my eyes flick to George- I feel like I've let him down. First I was so sure I could get him and Jo together, and then she got boyfriend; then George and I started to get pretty close, and I got a boyfriend. I can see he's both annoyed and hurt by what Jo's done here, bringing Oliver- she probably doesn't even realize how much damage she's doing.

Apparently I'm staring too long, and either he has a sixth sense or someone tips him off, because George looks over and we make eye contact. Before I can think twice I give him a small and semi-apologetic smile, and motion him over to me. I'm a little surprised, but he obliges, and he just stands there in front of me silently. I don't know what to say, so after a second he pushes past me, a little roughly, and either gets a drink or a snack or something- I whip around and he's already standing right behind me, facing me. I'm blocking his exit.

"I'm sorry, George. About Jo doing this…" I say, and he turns his head, avoiding making eye contact. Damn, he's so much taller than me- I don't know what to do until I notice the mistletoe again. I reach up and take him by the shoulders, and he almost stops me but I gently pull him down and kiss him on the cheek. He pulls back and looks at me.

"I really am sorry. Happy Christmas, George," I whisper, letting his shoulders go. He looks back up, past me, and I think he's about to push by when he does the unthinkable:

He grabs my shoulders and leans into me hard and angry and kisses me fiercely. My eyes shut and my hands are on his chest and I don't know why but I think I start kissing him back- I realize what's happening and start trying to push him away but he holds me tight. My eyes open and I try to see him- his eyes are open as he continues to kiss me, not looking at me but past me- way past me, angry and focused.

"Oi! Get off of her!" I hear an angry shout, and George is pulled off me. Lee grabbed him and threw him to the ground. I try to catch my breath and look around- but then Lee doesn't stop- he's pinning George down and screaming at him, and then Fred comes running over from wherever and pulls Lee off Goerge. Then there's just silence and a lot of staring. Goerge's eyes haven't left whatever he was staring at when he kissed me; I follow the gaze…

It's Jo. Jo and Oliver, but he doesn't care about Wood- he's looking at Jo, and by her reaction I realized what just happened. I don't know what I expected- I feel tears welling up in my eyes and I turn and run before anyone can see me cry. I run out in to the corridors and make a beeline for the Slytherin Common Room.

"Cas! Cas stop!" Fred calls from behind me. I stumble and grab the wall to stop me from falling. I can't see through all the tears, and I can't catch my breath. Fred comes over and takes my arm, but I throw him off.

"He used me- he fucking used me to make her jealous," I sob, and I don't wait for a response. I make it to the Common Room without further interruption, and I go straight for my bunk when I hear a voice.

"Cas?" It's Miles. A Christmas miracle. I keep my back turned- I certainly don't want him seeing me like this…but then I feel his arm on my shoulder, and he kind of puts a little pressure- not forcing me to turn around, but convincing me to. I look up at him through puffy red eyes, and I see he's angry.

"What happened?" He asks- his voice is tight and restrained. I shake my head and lean into him. He wraps me in a hug and runs his fingers through my hair. He scoops me up in one swift motion and I gasp, worried about his ribs. He gives an amused smile and assures me the Infirmary took care of him, and that it's my turn to be taken care of. He sits down in front of the fire and sets me by his side, and we just sit in silence for the rest of the night- no one dares come near us as they slowly filter in, not even Fred. We sit, and he strokes my hair, and I fall asleep still crying, but with my head on his shoulder.


	6. 4-6 (Mult POV)

Chapter 4.6

Jo and Oliver- POV Jo

It's that time of year again- Christmas is days away, and the castle is about to experience a mass exodus. I'm lucky enough to be one of those who will be fleeing for a few weeks take my Holiday at home. Oliver is staying at the castle, which I was sad about until I realized it doesn't actually make a difference- even if he had gone home we wouldn't be seeing each other. All of the Weasleys will be going home, so I'll ride the train with Fred and George…if they'll have me. There's a fair chance they won't after the Christmas party a few days ago- I'm still kicking myself for making such a stupid mistake. Actually there were a couple of stupid mistakes involved, all of which I still haven't forgiven myself for.

My first mistake was forgetting about the party. It was a word-of-mouth thing that had been building up all December: the fourth years from all the houses should get together before the holiday and have a party. Simple enough, except I'm really bad at planning ahead and remembering dates and things. So the day comes around and I have no idea of what importance it holds. Instead of getting ready for the party, me and Oliver decided to go out to the pitch and play some one on one before curfew, and it was fun. Then we went back to the castle and were walking to the common room when we passed a study room that was full of people partying it up- and I realized what was going on. I started panicking, thinking people would call me a bitch for forgetting, and Oliver started laughing and telling me to get over myself and just go in. I told him it was a bad idea and started to walk past the door, but Oliver took my hand and started dragging me in. Realizing there was no changing his mind, I ran ahead, so as to prevent people from realizing I needed him to convince me to go.

We walked in hand in hand, and this was another mistake. It was a fourth year party, and Oliver isn't a fourth year. People started whispering immediately, and I knew it wasn't anything good. I was about to push Oliver out the door as I looked for George, but when I saw the twin I knew he wasn't about to welcome me into his conversation. I was getting that vibe from a lot of people, so it came down to two options: either both me and Oliver leave, or we both stay. My next mistake was choosing to stay. Less than five minutes later all hell broke loose- I saw it from across the room. George and Cas talking, when he looks up at me, we make eye contact, and without breaking it, he grabs Cas and starts making out with her. That's when I made my final and biggest mistake- I saw Lee nearby. He and Cas are pretty close and I've suspected awhile that he has a crush on her- so I grabbed him and showed him what George was doing. Lee got mad and ran over; the fight broke out, and Cas ran out of the room. The party didn't survive long after that…

"Hey there," a voice from behind me calls. I'm sitting in the common room with my bag packed, ready to leave as soon as Percy or another prefect comes to escort us down. I turn around and it's Oliver. I haven't been avoiding him, but I haven't really been talking to him much either. I give him a smile and he plops down next to me.

"You gotta talk to me some time, ferret," he says with eyebrows raised. He's concerned. I think he thinks I'm being bullied, after the reception we received. That's not true…well, maybe half-true.

"Don't call me ferret," I tell him with faux-annoyance. He laughs and ruffles my hair.

"Seriously, Jo- you gotta talk to me. This is your last chance before Holiday." I sigh, knowing he's right. I just…dammit I don't want to tell him. It's…embarrassing…it's not something I want him to know.

"Fine, but you gotta promise to not be mad, okay?" he nods, suddenly serious. "So, that whole fiasco at the party- the stuff with George- he, well- he was trying to make me jealous. He doesn't like that you and I are dating, and Cas is my best friend, so he started making out with her to make me mad," I explain, not looking him in the eye until I finish.

"Did it- I mean, were you…jealous?" Oliver asks, and I suck my breath in real fast.

"No! I was angry- I knew it wasn't- see, I couldn't be-" Oliver holds up a hand stopping me mid-sentence.

"That's all I need to know. Just…I know you two are close, you and George. If things ever change- if you two ever want to be more than friends…just tell me, alright?"

I basically pounce on him and start kissing him- I'm relieved everything's okay. I must have the best boyfriend ever- understanding, caring, concerned. He's perfect, and when I take a breath I don't even think before the words slip out: "That'll never happen."

* * *

George and Miles- POV George

"That'll never happen." That's what she said- I heard it myself. She'll never want to be more than friends with me- and that's not what I'm most angry about- I mean, it hurt like hell, but what made it worse is that she's sitting in the middle of the common room making out with him and anyone around could hear her when she said it. There weren't a lot of people around- I just happened to be passing by when I heard them and stopped to listen a second. Possibly the worst second of my life.

I'm storming through the castle, going toward the dungeons. I need to find Fred, talk to him. I need someone to talk this out with, and normally Cassidy would be my go-to with something about Jo, but I think I've burned that bridge for good. Stupid! How could I do something so cruel- we were getting to be such good friends, and I made her cry. I've never seen her cry before. Never seen anything get to her like that. Like I did.

I pass people left and right, but I don't pay much attention- I'm on a mission. I'll find Fred, talk this through with him, and maybe if- maybe if he knows where Cassidy is I can arrange to apologize to her. I should have done it that night, but I didn't. And the past few days I've been sick with anger and guilt and I guess some part of me didn't want to be forgiven. But it's not about getting forgiven anymore- it's about making sure she knows how much I regret hurting her the way I did. It's about making sure _she's_ okay.

I turn a corner and walk right into someone. I look up, about to mutter an apology when I see who it is. Miles Mathers. Cassidy's boyfriend. His eyes flare with recognition and he grabs me by the robes and pins me against the wall.

"Just the bastard I was looking for," he growls. I struggle to get free but he's got an iron grip.

"I never liked you, Weasley, but you're worse than I thought. You know my Cas- she's a good girl- smart, ambitious, powerful. The other night she came to common room crying her eyes out. Wouldn't tell me why. I had to torture the story out of a couple of underclassmen- apparently you assaulted her at the party. You kissed her- _my_ Cas. That's not okay," he growls, throwing me to the ground. He kicks me against the walls and then kicks me again.

"I've seen the way you look at her, how you act around her," he barks as he continues kicking me. His foot connects with my ribs, my gut, my shoulders. Each blow is incredibly painful, and I gasp and groan.

"At dueling club, the way you _'helped'_ her off the platform- wrapping your arms around her! You're fucking wrong if you think you can keep this up. You leave her alone- if I see you trying to talk to her- even looking at her with those puppy dog eyes of yours- I. Will. End. You." He times those last words with four merciless punches to the face. He pulls me up by the collar, turns me around, and pushes me back the way I came. I hear him walk away, and I try to take a step forward, but the pain is too much and I fall to my knees, coughing up blood.

How can she be dating such an asshole? Does she even know he's like this? Did she ask him to do this to me? No- no that's not Cassidy's way. She faces her own problems. She doesn't hide behind others- especially not people like Mathers. I sit for a few minutes until I gather enough strength to get to my feet, and I make my way back to Gryffindor. I can talk to Fred later…Jo too. And I'm definitely going to talk to Cassidy on the train. She needs to know what happened. We need to get Cassidy away from that monster.

* * *

Fred and Lee- POV Lee

We've been in silence ever since we sat down- well, we've been silent. The train is loud as hell, and all of the other train cars are full of people talking about their holiday plans. But not me and Fred- we don't really know what to say to each other. At least, I don't know what to say to him. I haven't seen him since the fourth year Christmas party, and it's not like we've ever really hung out just the two of us before. Usually we at least have George around, and more often Cas and Jo too. But George and I aren't really on speaking terms, I'm too mad to speak to Jo, and I haven't seen Cas about lately.

"So…how's the Slytherin Quidditch team going?" I try. Quidditch is the only thing we really have in common besides our mutual friends. Fred was looking out the window, but hearing me he turns his head and attention back to reality.

"It's good, I guess. I mean- we didn't beat Gryffindor, but hey, other than that there's nothing to complain about." It's not much, but it's enough. We talk about Quidditch for a little bit, but then Fred sighs dramatically.

"Look- I think we gotta talk about what happened at the party," he says, and I'm simultaneously relieved and petrified.

"Which part?" I mutter sarcastically, and Fred laughs grimly.

"Let's start with the part where I had to lift you off of my brother. What got into you? I mean, I've never seen you like that before, and I was thinking maybe…are you into Cas?" I nearly laugh.

"No- no, nothing like that," I tell him, and I see a hint of relief wash over his face. We both seem calmer now, and it comes to me that Fred and I aren't actually that different.

"Look- not to pry, but…you see yourself as kind of misunderstood, don't you?" I ask. Fred's face contorts in surprise and confusion and maybe a little resentment, but after a second he gives a slight nod. That's what I thought.

"Its just, I do too- and Cas, she understands me. Makes me feel comfortable and like I can be myself. And so I guess I got a little overprotective when I saw what George was doing, well- when Jo showed me, that is." Fred looks surprised when I say that. I wouldn't have even noticed George and Cas if Jo hadn't pulled me out of a conversation and almost threw me at the two of them. Fred's face goes a little dark after I explain, but we don't talk about it anymore.

"What about you makes you feel like an outcast?" Fred asks after a little bit of silence. I just shrug, avoiding eye contact- I haven't even told Cas yet, and I'm definitely not going to tell Fred. We both end up looking out the window for awhile until there's a rap on the door to the traincar, and someone slides it open. I turn and see it's Jo. She doesn't look so good as she plops into the seat next to Fred. Smart of her- I'm still a little mad about what she did at the party. She was the catalyst for the hell that broke loose and ruined the party, her and Oliver. Fred doesn't look particularly welcoming either, but he takes pity, probably because of how she looks.

"Jo," he says with a nod. She looks pale, which is odd. Jo usually blushes, I've never seen her pale before. "You alright?" Fred asks, and Jo shakes her head.

"What's wrong?" I ask, "Where's Oliver? Or George? Cas?" It probably sounds like I'm trying to get rid of her, which is half-true. But I'm also a little curious.

"Oliver is staying at the castle…look- we gotta talk. It's about George."

"Where is he?" Fred asks, "He said he'd sit with me on the trainride, but he never showed up." Jo bites her tongue before answering.

"He's, umm- he's in the medical car," she says quietly, "I just saw him." Fred and I nearly jump to our feet in surprise. We both ask what happened but Jo's just sitting there looking like she's gonna be sick. Then this look crosses Fred's face as if he caught whatever is making Jo so upset.

"It wasn't…Cas, was it?" he asks. Jo looks up wide-eyed.

"No! No, it wasn't Cas. She'd never go that far…he's hurt really bad."

"Then what happened?" Fred demands.

"It was Mathers," Jo whispers. Mathers? Miles Mathers? As in Cas's boyfriend? No way in hell- actually…we've all heard rumors. Everyone knows he's more than a bit of a bully, but sending George to the infirmary? That seems radical.

"He found out about the party from some kids- attacked George in the hallway this morning and told him never to talk to Cas again," Jo elaborates. We're in shock.

"You told Cas, right? Miles never comes home for Holiday- where is she? She needs to know!" Fred exclaims. Jo shakes her head.

"She's gotta be here somewhere- I'll ask who's seen her. This isn't something we can keep to ourselves," I say, but Jo just turns her eyes to the ground.

"I tired that before I came here- I couldn't find her," She whispers.

"Well, we'll try again. She's been so excited to see her dad she wouldn't shut up," Fred says desperately. I can tell he feels guilty- I do too. Neither of us even thought to try and find her.

"She…she's not here, guys. She stayed at the castle." No wonder Jo looks so sick- we drove Cas to stay at the castle over Holiday? That's a big deal- Cas loves her dad, talks about him a lot. Always looks forward to seeing him. That party must have really fucked her up.

"Wait," Fred says with a look of horrified realization, "That means…"

"She's got no idea what Mathers did to George…and she's spending her break with him." Jo finishes.

* * *

Cas and Miles- POV Cas

I made the decision to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas after the party, when I was wrapped in Miles's arms silently crying my eyes out in front of the fire. I told myself I didn't want to go home, or even leave the common room. I definitely didn't want to see Jo, Fred, or Lee; I especially didn't want to see George. At the same time I also wanted to get some space away from everything and everyone, and I wanted to see my dad and my house again. So I spent the week packing and convincing myself that I had to go home. I didn't leave the common room once, and when I saw Fred or thought he might be around, I fled to the girls' dorms. And then last night the House was having our own Christmas party, and so I emerged from hiding to celebrate and wish everyone happy Christmas.

As soon as I came down the steps I saw Miles waiting for me; he pulled me by his side and I didn't leave it for the whole party. I felt safer this way- people who knew what had happened didn't dare look at me funny, and even Fred kept a bit of distance besides coming over to wish us both happy Christmas. He asked if I wanted to sit with him on the train ride home, but I pretended not to hear and moved on to a different group of people for conversation. It was a bitchy thing to do, but I knew he'd be sitting with George and I wasn't about to go within fifty feet of him.

So then Miles pulled me aside and asked if I was okay again- he's crazy protective since we went public- and I said that I didn't know what to feel about going home for the break. He said he was staying at the castle, and if I wanted to stay too, he'd keep me company. I thought about it and in the morning unpacked my things and sent a letter to my father. I was going to stay.

This morning everyone who was leaving left, and I just sat in the common room watching them go. I was strangely calming, and a little bit haunting. Strange things have been happening in the castle this year- people have been getting hurt. I think it's all some stupid joke, but people are claiming that this thing called the Chamber of Secrets has been opened, and that some monster got out and is petrifying people. Ever since Harry demonstrated his abilities as a Parsletongue, people think he's behind everything. I don't know the kid that well, but I know he isn't the type to do this shit. It's curious though, how people really are getting hurt…

The common room door swings open and Miles enters. I pop up in my seat and he comes over to me.

"Where have you been?" I ask him, but he just gives me a funny look.

"Can't stand my being away for even a few minutes?" he taunts, and I roll my eyes. I see he's cradling his right hand, but when he sees me looking he covers it up. I'm curious, but I don't pry. It's probably nothing.

"So, what're we going to do to keep you busy while the castle's so near empty?" he asks, subtly trying to change my focus. I know what he's doing, but I let him.

"I'm guessing one-on-one quidditch in the snow is out of the question?" he teases, and I give him a look of mock-disdain.

"I was just going to work on my studies. I can tell Snape I've stayed, and he might have some kids who need tutoring," I say. Miles nods quietly, and I ask him his plans. He says he'll probably sleep a lot, practice quidditch, and do whatever he can to give me a great Christmas. I smile when he says that, and he pulls me closer to him and we spend the afternoon talking about nothing. Then we have dinner, and I tell him I'm going to see Snape. He says goodnight, since he'll be crashing as soon as he physically can.

So I go and talk to Snape, work out a schedule for the break when I'll be tutoring and when I'll have a lesson of my own. Then I go to the owlry to send some Christmas cards to friends and family. I send one to the entire Weasley family, thinking it only polite since I've met them all now, and a separate one to Fred. I think about sending one to George, but just the idea nearly brings me to tears, so I don't.

By that time it's pretty late, but I'm not tired, so I go to the library. I don't know what I'm looking for, so I just wander the shelves looking at titles and authors. No one else is around, and a thought crosses my mind- now is as good a time as ever to look into the Chamber of Secrets, and the monster that is supposedly attacking people. I find some little snippets of information here and there, but nothing particularly useful. I realize it's probably in the restricted section, as all the good books usually are. I smile to myself. Looks like I know where I'll be spending my downtime over break.

I think for a second about inviting Miles to come with me, to help me. But I decide against it- he's not exactly a book worm, and I think about how he was hiding his hand from me. I think it was bruised, maybe broken, and unless he was randomly punching walls, there's really only one way you get that kind of injury. I stop myself before I can think about it too much- I have my demons, he has his. It's one of the things that makes him so attractive; he's got this darkness about him that people would normally judge, but he's completely confident in it. He's comfortable with who he is, and I want to be too. Still, I feel bad for the person Miles may or may not have…fought?


	7. 4-7 (POV Jo)

Chapter 4.7 POV Jo

Where the hell is she? I'm in complete and utter panic mode at this point. It's the first day back at classes; the first day back at Hogwarts for the majority of the school. I'm in Defense Against the Dark Arts, taught by Gilderoy Lockhart. This is one of those classes with both Gryffindor and Slytherin kids, so this is my first chance to see Cas since…well, it's been a long time.

All through break I kept sending her owls, asking if she was okay and telling her she had to get word back to me. I don't know whether she never received them, or just didn't open them, but all I got from her was a generic Christmas card. She can be so stubborn sometimes. But it's more than just me being the best friend a girl could ask for- I'm seriously concerned. Before leaving on break I found out that Cas's beast of a boyfriend beat the shit out of George in a weird mixture of revenge, intimidation, and possibly jealousy. We were going to fill Cas in on the trainride home, but at the last second she decided not to come home for the holidays. She's been in the castle with Miles for weeks, and I don't know if she's alright, or if he's hurt her.

The door behind us creaks as it slowly opens. Lockhart wasn't quite teaching material yet- he spends the majority of every class telling stories about himself- but he looks up with the rest of the class to see who's coming in. It's Cas, and I literally sigh with relief- she looks alright- no bumps or bruises or cuts as far as I can see. I make eye contact with Fred and George, who have been pretty worried too. None of us have really been there for Cas lately, which explains the cold shoulder we all received over the break. Cas breezes in and some people are shocked- Cas is a total nerd in that she's always on time with books and homework at the ready. She has this doe-eyed innocent look on her face when Lockhart asks why she's late.

"I'm so sorry, Professor! It's just that I was reading this-" she pulls out a copy of Lockhart's newest memoir- "and I was just so captivated that I lost track of time," she coos, batting her eyelashes. I don't know whether to laugh or vomit- Cas is a good student, but she's hardly a kiss-ass, and I know for a fact that she hates Lockhart and his stupid books. Fred and George are making faces too, but Lockhart bought her little act hook, line, and sinker. He thanks Cas for her patronage, and starts reciting a tale of one of his numerous adventures while Cas looks for a seat.

It took some arm twisting, but I made sure that the only open seat in the room was next to me. Fred fought me on this one, but I came out on top. George almost tried to challenge us, but we all knew that there was still a 75% chance Cas would rather leave the class than sit next to him. So Cas realizes she has to settle next to me, and she does as much. She doesn't look at me, but just sits down and looks up to Lockhart. He looks back at her and gives her a wink as he keeps talking. I'm horrified. I look at her to see some sort of reaction, but she's not doing anything. A wave of nausea washes over me, scared to accept that over the Holiday Cas was brainwashed to become one of those Lockhart loving bimbos.

"Cas! What's wrong with you?" I hiss. She turns her head just slightly, as if to rebut, but decides against it. She opens her book and starts reading, so I know I need to take drastic measures. I step on her foot and refuse to let it go, no matter how hard she struggles, so she just stops struggling. She's not even fighting me anymore.

"Cas, please, we need to talk. It's actually legitimately important, and then you can go back to ignoring me. But you have to listen, please," I whisper. Cas sighs dramatically and without looking away from her book she starts scribbling on a piece of parchment. She passes it over to me.

 _What the hell do you want cant you see im busy?_

 _Your reading a lockhart book thats hardly busy this is important_

 _*You're_

 _What?_

 _'_ _you're reading' you are reading. Grammar._

 _Cas this is serious_

 _So is what im reading._

At this point I'm fed up and just grab the book from her. Lockhart's most recent exploits. I need to see what's ever so fascinating about a fully grown man spending the weekend in a forest with nothing but his wand and the clothes on his back. But one look and I know that's not what this is. This is a textbook thing, like an encyclopedia, but the book cover is switched. I look up at Cas, and she's still avoiding eye contact; but this time it's not about being stubborn, but about hiding a secret. I push the book back and grab the parchment.

 _Why are you reading a textbook?_

 _It's an anthology_

 _Why are you reading an anthology?_

 _None of your goddamn business_

 _Cas we need to talk_

 _We're in the middle of a very interesting class. You should pay attention you might learn something about how to be a complete wanker past the age of 35_

I have to choke back laughter, and even though she's still not looking at me I can see that Cas is smiling at her own joke. At least I know she hasn't joined the cult of idiots idolizing Lockhart.

 _Seriously though_

 _Okay what is so important?_

 _Miles hasn't hurt you has he?_

"No?! Why the hell would you say that?" She hisses. I grab back the parchment.

 _Look- he's not a good guy ok? I think you should break up with him_

 _No_

 _Cas I'm being serious he's a bad person_

 _At least he didn't use me to make his crush jealous._ Ouch. She's not wrong.

 _You need to talk to George._

 _No I don't_

 _Mathers is bad news_

 _Miles is good to me_

 _And no one else_

 _Im not breaking up with him_

 _CAS HE WILL HURT YOU_

 _Ill dump him when you dump oliver_

I can't respond to this because the parchment is completely covered at this point. At least she's talking to me- I can pick up the conversation after class. I'm not going to dump Oliver; he doesn't beat up my friends or make threats and he doesn't have a reputation as a bully.

"Put your hand up," Cas whispers, and I look up and realize Lockhart just asked a question. A lot of people have their hands raised, so I put mine up. But then I realize Cas doesn't have her hand up and I get suspicious. I pull my hand back down, but it's too late.

"Now, now, Jolene- don't be shy. Go on, tell me your favorite part of the book," he says, grinning ridiculously. I feel myself blushes, and out of the corner of my eye I can see a smirk on Cas's face. The bitch.

"Chapter seven," she mutters under her breath. I don't trust her, but I'm flying blind and knowing Cas, she probably has read the book in case he makes a pop quiz out of it.

"Chapter seven, I guess," I say with a tinge of resentment and hesitation. A couple of girls giggle in the front row, and Lockhart…blushes?

"Ah! Well, not the most adventurous chapter in the novel, I suppose, but telling none the less. I'm glad to know you appreciate all aspects of the story, Jolene, and not just the guts and glory parts," he says, regaining his confidence and composure. He then goes into some digression and I turn to Cas. She's finally looking back at me.

"We're even," she says, pulling a book out of her bag and passing it to me. It's the real copy of the book we're discussing, sans the paper cover thing. I'm scared to look, but I have to know what hole I just dug for myself. I flip to chapter seven; it's only a few pages and I scan through them quickly, getting redder and redder as I read. It's a chapter discussing how Lockhart broke up with his last girlfriend, and detailing what he considers his ideal spouse. Fuck me. FuckmefuckmefuckmylifedammitCas.

I look at her, ready to tear her throat out. She smiles knowingly, tilting her head a bit, exposing her jugular. She's taunting me. I stomp on her foot as hard as I can and she winces. The rest of the class is spent with neither of us paying attention to the lesson; Cas reading her nerd book and me desperately trying to find an angle that makes what I just declared to the class not look like I just professed a crush on Lockhart.

Class ends and I'm unsuccessful. As we pack up to leave the twins come over to us. Cas stiffens when she realizes George is standing with us. I don't blame her, but she's got to get past it and realize that Mathers is the villain here, not George. We all walk out together, Cas a little faster than the rest of us- she's trying to get away- but I grab her hood and stop her mid-step. I drag her to an empty bench in the hallway and she and I sit while the twins stand over us.

"Cas, you gotta listen to us. Miles-" I start.

"-Miles and I are none of your business, so stop talking about him, okay?"

"Cas, please," Fred whispers, "You gotta know what he's done."

"No! You wanna know what he did?" Cas bursts out, "He comforted me. He was a friend to me after I got hurt. He listened when I needed to talk, and sat with me in silence while I cried my fucking eyes out." She's glaring right at George. He completely healed over break, so she can't see all the places Mathers kicked and hit him; all the bruises and cuts he have faded.

Cas jumps up to leave, and the twins part to let her go. I don't give up so easily- I run after her.

"Cas- Cas, stop!" She does. "Look, I get you're mad at George, but that doesn't mean you can ignore what happened to him," I tell her.

"Oh, so I can't ignore George, but you can?" She accuses. I don't understand; don't have a response.

"George has been in love with you since day one, you idiot! He cared about you even before you met Oliver. He's been too shy to do anything about it, but I've been doing all I can. You say me and Miles aren't meant to be- but you and Oliver aren't either. You should've given George a chance a long time ago. It's your fault he did what he did at the party- I don't even blame him anymore. You flaunting your boyfriend in front of him- you stopped hanging out with him to make time for Oliver. You've been hurting him more than he could ever hurt me."

She finishes her speech, but doesn't storm off or anything. Wow…I don't know if she's right or not, but everything she's said- the facts at least- they do sound right. I have been spending less time with George, more with Oliver. I mean- George and I are just friends, right? I've always seen it that way…maybe he hasn't.

Cas speaks up again, "Look. I'm not mad anymore- not at George, not at you, not at Lee or Fred. What happened, happened. It's behind us. But you and George, that's still relevant," she smiles mischievously, "And I'm not going to stop until the two of you grow the balls to give each other a fighting chance.

I smile a bit,; relieved by her saying she's not mad anymore. And then I realize that she's back to her old self- laying a challenge down. It looks like we're going to get back to normal- pranks, schemes, jokes, and gambles. I smile back, and stick out a hand. She takes it and we shake. May the best witch win.


	8. 4-8 (POV Jo)

Chapter 4.8 POV Jo

So far in our little war, it's Cas:1, me:0. I thought it would be just a temporary setback, but twenty four hours after her little strike, I'm realizing she hit a lot harder than I ever thought. She's good. Pure evil, but so damn good.

Yesterday morning during class, she passed me this little orange hair ribbon- cute, right? Says she's sorry she's been so secretive and bitchy- her words- and says the ribbon is a peace offering. She got behind me and braided my hair and tied it up. Ribbons aren't usually my style, but she was trying, and she admitted she was a bitch, and I can't just ignore progress like that. So I spent the day with my hair up. A couple of friends asked me where I got the ribbon and I felt nice getting complimented like that. Might have even fell asleep with a smile on my face.

This morning I most certainly do not have a smile on my face. I got up early- it's a quidditch day. We're playing Hufflepuff, and I've been looking forward to playing another match for the longest time. So I get up early before everyone else and go straight to the bathrooms to shower and freshen up. I got out of the shower and toweled off and got my robes on and everything, which is when I went to dry my hair.

It was orange. And I don't mean like a crisp auburn fall leaf orange. My hair was Weasley orange. _Is_ Weasley orange. I did everything I could think- showered my hair out two more times, toweled it like crazy, and even took my wand to it. Nothing. I don't know how she did it, but Cas dyed my hair orange.

I've had a winter cap on all morning, my hair piled up on top of my head so no one can see. I've been getting some looks, but I've managed to avoid all my close friends. I had breakfast alone and went after Cas immediately- I have to get to the pitch for a mandatory pre-game practice and motivational speech by Oliver. Damn…what'll Oliver think? What can I tell him? That Cas has been trying to break us up and get me together with George? That I did this on purpose? Maybe I can say it was an accident; like a spell gone wrong? Hell, I won't let it come to that. I'll get Cas to fix it.

But where the hell could she be? Not the owlry, or the Great Hall, or the potions dungeons. I'm about to get George and have him spill the beans about how to get into the Slytherin Common Room, when it hits me- the library. That nerd would totally be in the library on a Saturday. So I go check. There's only one person in there, and not exactly someone I should be- or even want to be- talking to.

"Hey there, Jolene!" Shouts Charlie. She's a chaser for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Later today there's more than a fair chance I might be sending bludgers her way. With that in mind I nearly pretend I didn't hear her and leave. But we're in a library; an empty library; and she's basically the nicest person in the school.

"Hey, Charlie," I reply with a small smile. She pats the chair next to the one she's in, inviting me to sit. I put my hands up in protest.

"Sorry, really, but I'm just looking for someone," I tell her, backing up slowly.

"Cassidy, right?" She asks. My jaw nearly drops. "Yeah, you just missed her- she said you might be around. Actually, she left a message: she said you'll just have to wait until after the match. I don't know what that really means, but I'm looking forward to the match, aren't you?" I have no idea how to respond to that. After the match? Like hell I'm waiting until after the match. I can just image her smug little self running around the castle, not staying anywhere more than ten minutes, leaving dozens of people with the same message for me.

"What's with the winter cap? I mean, I thought it was warming up- are we expecting another cold front?" Charlie asks. I shake my head and mutter something about a bad hair day. She laughs and waves goodbye, wishing me luck in the match. I leave the library with no real destination in mind.

How does she do it? Charlie, I mean. She's so friendly- and not in the suffocating, syrupy way, but the genuine nice person way. No one's nice anymore- I mean, people are still nice, but everyone's going around like they've got rain clouds hovering over them. And they've got good reason. People are being attacked. In Hogwarts. You always hear people say that this is the safest place in the world to be, and there are kids getting petrified on their way to class. The houses have divided- Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws all stick to themselves. It's like no one trusts anyone anymore.

And then there's Charlie, who will spend her time talking to literally anyone who passes by- I swear she knows everyone's name and is on everyone's good side. People like her are what makes Hogwarts the best place on earth.

I find myself back at the Gryffindor common room, and as I pass the fat lady's threshold, I come to face the rowdiest pep rally I could have imagined. I'm grabbed by both sides by random underclassmen and thrust into the middle of the common room with the rest of the team. I'm swept up into the excitement and forget my troubles for a little bit…until Oliver gets up and calls us all to the pitch. We leave the castle, and on our way over George asks me why I have this ridiculous hat on.

"Bad hair day," I tell him in an admittedly pissy way. I mean, if I don't know how to explain it to Oliver, how the hell am I gonna get George up to speed?

We get our Quidditch gear on and circle up, and Oliver begins one of his long-winded motivation talks. I'm only half paying attention, like most of the team- until he starts talking strategy, and he's doling out specific roles and tips and his eyes land on me and sort of scrunch up- I hold my breath, fearing a comment or request to remove the hat, but Oliver's in his zone, and he's not going to stop for something so unrelated to Quiddtich. I thank the Quidditch gods for that one.

And just like that, I get away with it. We take the pitch, and the match starts and we're playing and it's going great. We score some, they score some, Oliver makes a few great saves, Angelina makes a few amazing shots, and Lee makes more than a few biased comments. Cas isn't in the commentator's box like usual- when the play is slow or a Quaffle is being retrieved, I scour the stands to find her- there's no way she'd miss this, right? I mean, whatever she did, it worked. She would die before missing the look of me flying around looking like a grown up version of Ginny, the twins' little sister. Finally I see her- and it makes me sick. She's deep in the throes of the Slytherin section of the stands, planted firmly next to Mathers.

I shake the image from my mind and follow the bludgers, protecting my team. I end up by the goalposts for a front row seat of Oliver saving a particularly tricky shot by Charlie. He clears it to a chaser and I go to zip off, but I feel it. The hat comes off. Damn my boyfriend.

It's our thing- whenever we're near each other on the pitch, he tugs my braid or ponytail or whatever. It's his playful way of saying…well, I don't really know what something like that is specifically saying, but it's what he does. Sometimes if I'm beneath him I'll tug his Keeper's robes, but that doesn't happen as often.

Well, today I don't have a braid or ponytail, just a gold and red cap. He pulled it off. The full untamed orange mess is released to billow in the wind.

"Well look at that! For those of us old enough to remember, it's like a flashback to the era of two Wealeys on the pitch! Just look at that little lioness's mane!" Lee bellows from his box. Little prick is lucky I don't have a bludger nearby to wallop his way. I could do it. I could do it and no one could blame me.

Fucking lucky little prick. No bludgers this way; they're all near the action, which is where I need to be, so I zip off and the match continues as always, but with Lee making as many little digs as he can possible fit in. "The female fireball's got quite an arm on her today," "Gryffindor's more catty carrot-top saves the chasers a lot of pain there," "Ooh, the racy new red-head just barely dodges a bludger." The crowd is eating it up. I can't take the time or energy to find Cas again, but I bet she's enjoying herself. I could say it's windburn, but my face is probably as red as my uniform right now.

Harry ends up catching the snitch and the match is over and we won, but I don't have time to revel in success. We shake hands with the Hufflepuffs, and before I can escape to the lockers, Chalie shows up again and pulls me aside once we dismount.

"Hey! Great game today, you really deserve that victory!" She says in classic Charlie fashion, "And I absolutely love the new hair! What made you do it?"

"Oh, it just sort of happened," I say, and she laughs. Then a thought comes to me. "Hey, can you pass a message on to Ruby? She's about this tall and-"

"I know Ruby! Sure, what do you want me to say?" I give her a message to deliver, feel a warm sense of revenge bubbling inside me.

I go to the lockers and catch up with the rest of my team- Oliver gives a victory speech and everyone's celebrating and it's all good until the conversation turns to my hair. Comments are made implying it was a 'brilliant strategy on my part- shock them so they can't focus'. George comes right over to confront me. Before he says anything I tell him one word: "Cas." He doesn't need a reason behind her actions. He might not even think she has a reason, but all that matters is that my comment took care of George. Now I just need to deal with-

"Hey there, pretty lady," Oliver says, tugging my ponytail. I look up and open my mouth to start rambling some not very thought out lie, hoping it'll turn out for the nest or that my bull shitting will step up to the plate, but he leans in and stops any words I may have with a quick kiss.

"Orange is a brilliant color on you, ferret," he tells me with an amused smile. That's what I love about Oliver- no matter what it is, we trust each other- we're on the same page- whatever you call it. This just proves it in my mind: he and I are soul mates.


	9. 4-9 POV Cas

Chapter 4-9 POV Cas

I don't consider myself a bad person. I'm not evil. People like to say the Slytherin is the House that spawns villains, criminals, and other variations of bad people. But I swear to god I'm not one of them.

I'm just creative…especially when it comes to revenge. You say manipulative, I say persuasive. You say maniacal, I say cunningly brilliant. You say the devil; I say that, technically, I have angel on my resume, if you look back far enough. It's all how you parse your words.

I think I've run my silver tongue dry…for today at least. And it's been a long fucking day. The story, however, starts a little less than a week ago. A Trojan horse in the form of a ribbon. The original Trojan Horse was a magical object- expanding spell on the inside so an entire army could fit in it. It's why today there's this company that sells purses charmed with an ancient family-secret spell that allows a girl to fit literally anything and everything her bag. People have successfully fit bodies in these purses with no one the wiser.

I digress- the ribbon. See, Snape lent me a Potions book, one with all sorts of marginalized notes. It was his book when he was a student- and he was absolutely brilliant. In there he wrote original spells and methods of making potions more successfully. I've been studying it religiously. In it I found an advanced potions that allows two objects to fuse or swap colors on contact. Mix in a little time delay serum, and ta-da- Jo's hair becomes the color of a pumpkin just in time for a Quidditch match. It was quite brilliant, if I do say so myself. And to top things off, I can manufacture them in a variety of colors and have the twins sell them- they've been hounding me for more products to be distributed. I think this will make them happy- and the school's seen a pretty successful demonstration already.

See, my plan, it was all well and good- a beacon to the world that George and Jo should be together, until apparently she somehow misconstrued my message and decided that her and Oliver are 'soul mates'. So it wasn't a victory, per say, on my war against Jo and Oliver.

And then things went even more downhill two days later when I was showering and realized too late that Jo somehow tampered with my shampoo and was attempting to dye my hair green. I still don't know how she did it, but my long, raven-black hair, the pride of my appearance and highest bragging point of my vanity, is now a hideous grass green. She didn't even have the mercy or courtesy to make it emerald. I look like an albino tree just sprouted leaves.

See- I don't know what spell or potion she used, and I'm not so stupid as to start trying to fix things willy-nilly without figuring out what I'm trying to reverse in the first place. I'm also not so stupid as to give her the satisfaction of seeing that her prank worked, or the satisfaction of having me admit I don't know how to fix it myself. It was a dilemma.

I couldn't let her win, and I was faced with a horrible choice: my pride, or my vanity. After careful consideration…I chose both. This of course meant that neither would reach the other side of the battle unscathed, but both would be relatively intact. Thus I took the liberty of sealing the girls' bathroom off and locking myself in for the long haul. I emerged an hour and a half later a new woman. My magnificent tresses were no more; those rich flowing black locks a thing of the past. I cut my hair off. It was now short- like, almost as short as a boy's hair. Pixie short. And because I couldn't reverse Jo's magic trick, I had to dye over the green hair- so I didn't just make it black- I left streaks of the underlying green and added stripes of silver. The style looks a little punk, I'll admit, but everything was necessary. It's not actually that bad a look.

And at breakfast in the Great Hall, I was met with a largely positive response to the hair, including a couple of whistles, shouts, and other noises generally associated with piggish men. Had this been a willing change of style on my part, I would have stuck their tongues to the roofs of their mouths; however, since this was a spur of the moment thing, I really didn't mind at all. Miles, on the other hand, did not seem so flattered by the shower of less than coherent compliments. I sat next to him as usual, but instead of just digging in quietly as he normally would, he just stared at me. That gaze had been stuck on me since I entered the Hall, I knew, but I wasn't about to let myself think he'd care so much as to make a scene, or worse, dump me over it. I didn't meet his eyes as I nibbled on my breakfast.

"Cas," He said. It was a command, a demand for an explanation. I felt myself physically shrink. I feared he didn't like the way I looked anymore. I wasn't about to let him know how irrationally scared I was in the moment, so I looked up and met his eyes and just stared, eyebrows raised, waiting for a question, comment, or some variation of a complete sentence.

Instead of saying anything, he tentatively wiped his hand on his robes and reached out to my hair. It took a lot of control not to flinch or draw back, but I remained still, eyes locked on him. His hand ran through my hair, fluffing it and petting it and...admiring it? He cupped the back of my head, taking a fist of the hair, and suddenly pulled me in to him, and he kissed me right then and there at the breakfast table. When he pulled back and released my hair, he cocked his head and looked down at me with an amused glimmer in his eyes.

"You are one sexy surprise after another, aren't you?" I probably grinned like an idiot at the compliment, but no one saw because Miles wrapped his arm around me and scooted me as close next to him as I could physically get, and we ate the rest of the meal in silence. And after the kiss, the rest of the kids were silent too; no more catcalls or remarks about my new look. Across the Hall I honed in on Jo, who was staring slack-jawed. I don't know whether she was outrageously proud or just too surprised to feel anything else. She knew how much I loved my hair. It was the first physical casualty of our little war.

That was yesterday. This morning the Hall was relatively quiet; the weight of fear hanging over the majority of us. Not Miles, who seemed himself; or little Draco; fact is, the Slytherin house in general seems to be operating as usual. Except me, that is.

See, all this talk of the Chamber of Secrets, the beast therein, it got me curious. And so in my curiosity I fled to the library and researched for weeks on end. Nothing came of it up until right before the Quidditch match. I was hiding in the library from Jo, knowing she's be after me. I was sitting there flipping through one of the numerous books I had panned through too many times to count, when it hit me. A little page about a mythical creature- I'd seen it before but hadn't paid attention because I figured, if it's a myth, it's not relevant, right? Well this time I thought twice. But I got interrupted by the sound of footsteps and panicked, thinking Jo had found me. I ripped the page out of the book and went to run- right into the prissy little frizz ball herself- Hermione. Behind her was Charlie, reading at a table.

I looked at Hermione, who was warily staring at me. She, for all her annoying traits, is a good kid. I knew she was interested in the Chamber like I was, so I grabbed her hand and handed her the folded up page. Then I pushed past her and left a message with Charlie for Jo, in case she did stop by the library looking for me.

I didn't think much of any of it until Miles and I were walking back to the castle from the pitch and were met with panic- two more attacks had taken place during the match, maybe even before it. If people hadn't been so quick to get across the grounds maybe someone would have found the girls- people were whispering their names. Only one registered with me: Hermione. I know I didn't do anything wrong, but it's scary. If I had done something different that morning, maybe she wouldn't have been attacked.

But none of that applies to my story; another digression, alas. Someone else's tale. My story of the day is much more lighthearted and mischievous. See, Jo wronged me yesterday- she stole from me my hair. So today I knew I needed to get her back. And I did. All it took was luck and a few well told lies.

It began with Jo and Oliver, as most problem-causing stories do. I had asked Jo to come to the dungeons so I could have her deliver the ribbons to the twins to be sold. She must have misheard me, because when she did come down she brought Oliver. Worse still, they were...nuzzling? cuddling? I have no clue- they were publicly displaying their gross affections as they entered the dungeon ten minutes later than I asked her to be there. So by no fault of mine, the two idiots walking in on my weekly private lesson with Snape, all handsy with each other. Snape did not find this amusing. I personally was mortified. Snape assumed they were sneaking into the dungeons to...well...get busy...and promptly postponed my lesson and began escorting them to Professor McGonagall for some disciplinary action.

I now had free time on my hands, and decided some pay back was in order. I had the Map on me, as usual, and promptly tracked down Jo's favorite professor, Lockhart. I stumbled into his office to find him alone...looking into a mirror? I surprised him and he asked what I was doing- I told him Professor McGonagall needed him straight away, something about a misbehaving student needing his guidance. He obliged without hesitation or further question.

I had seen a flock of fan girls in the halls on the way to his office and ran us into them quite on purpose, giving me the chance to run ahead to McGonagall's office. There I poked my head in and saw Jo and Oliver getting lectured. I knocked on the door and put my best innocent face on. I explained that Filtch was have trouble with Peeves and had sent me to get her. She sighed and got up, telling the two lovebirds to wait, and that they weren't done yet. She left and I turned back down the hall to retrieve Lockhart.

"It's Jolene Zocchi, Professor. Apparently Professor McGonagall thinks you'd make the best impression on her, in order to help her straighten out, that is." He blushed a bit as we reached the office, but walked in resolutely as anything. I waited right outside the door to hear everything.

I was not disappointed. For no less than thirty minutes Lockhart spoke directly to Jo about her 'misplaced affections', her 'unusual attraction to older men', and then he assured her that 'it was completely unnecessary to try and make him jealous with this little stunt and Oliver Wood'. Oliver, of course, was clueless as to all of this, and if I was lucky, now thought he was being used to make Lockhart jealous.

I was keeping an eye on the Map so that I could disappear whenever McGonagall decided to reappear. I saw her and Filtch together in his offices for the entirety of Lockhart's lecture, so I knew I was safe. But eventually they broke apart and I made my way back to the Dungeons, to do some private studying while waiting for Snape. He came and we did some inventory- apparently people had been stealing from his stock lately- and finally went through our next lesson. The whole time he grumbles about the inferiority and immaturity of Gryffindor. Normally I might have made a comment to stop his verbal abuses, but today I was quite on his side. I hope those two hooligans learned their lesson.

I smile to myself one last time as I close my eyes. But then someone shakes my shoulder, whispering my name. I jerk up, a little annoyed, to see some first year standing over me.

"Cassidy? Cassidy Walker?"

"What the bloody hell do you want?"

"It's Fred- Fred Weasley. Something's wrong."


	10. 4-10 POV Jo

Chapter 4.10 POV Jo

 _HER SKELETON WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER_

It was ominous and it was written in blood. Some people thought that maybe some moronic students were taking a practical joke too far, but there was really no question that this was a very serious threat. Students were sent back to their dormitories; teachers were huddled in little packs deliberating amongst themselves. Fear was palpable; panic was inevitable.

I stood alone in the crowd, staring at the blood smeared wall. Part of me thought it was all a joke, a dream maybe. Hogwarts was- _is_ \- the safest place in the world. Nothing like this would ever happen in the castle. Despite this hope I knew in my heart that it was real, and that it was more than possible that a student was dead. Throughout the year students have been fall prey to a mysterious attack, leaving them petrified. It was only a matter of time before the attacker escalated to murder.

People stream by me and I get bumped more than once, but I refuse to move. I shouldn't be hiding from this- no one should. If a student really is in danger, we should be finding her, helping her, saving her life. It feels wrong to run. I realize that someone's behind me, but I don't turn to look. They're either sharing my morbid fascination with the wall, or they're going to try and tell me I have to move.

"Jo," it's a barely audible whisper, "Jo. It's their sister- Ginny Weasley is missing." I turn my head and see Cas. She's looking down at her feet, like she's ashamed of something. Maybe she's just afraid. I wouldn't blame her if that was the case; I'm scared too. But with this new information I know we have to do something- anything. First, I want to find the twins.

I turn my back to the wall and allow Cas to lead me through the waves of students. We make our way to where the twins are. George and Fred are standing in a corner silently, looking at each other. Their faces are ghostly pale and their hands are twitching nervously. Immediately I regret coming over to them- I feel like an intruder. This is their family; the problem is so much more personal for them. I feel myself frozen to where I'm standing. The twins don't even look our way as we linger in front of them.

Then Cas steps even closer and wraps Fred up in her arms. He doesn't reciprocate, doesn't react in any way, but she holds him for awhile before letting go and hugging George. This creates a reaction- as soon as she's firmly holding him George falls to his knees, bringing Cas with him. She keeps holding on as he lets his head fall into her shoulder. He's not crying, but this is somehow worse. Fred sit down too and takes George from Cas- the twins hold each other for a minute before letting go and just staring at the ground again.

I sit down with them and out of the corner of my eye I see something that I never expected- Cas's face is stained with streaks of tears. She's looking down into her lap, and little teardrops are forming on and falling off of her nose. She doesn't make a peep this whole time.

"We have to do something," I whisper. The boys flinch when I say it, and Cas quickly wipes her eyes and face to try and hide her tears.

"What can we do, Jo? We don't even know what happened," George asks desperately.

"The Map! Cas, do you have it? We'll see where she is! It has everyone's name in it, we can find her!" I exclaim, looking eagerly at Cas. She looks sadly at Fred, who shakes his head.

"I've had the Map for weeks now. We-" he motions at his brother "we noticed she was acting weird for awhile. I got the Map from Cas when it started worrying us. I checked it when they first told us that Ginny was the one missing- I can't find her anywhere on it. She's gone." This is crazy- people don't just disappear from Hogwarts. There has to be an explanation.

"Oh god Cas, don't" I hear George say- we all look at Cas and she's got more tears rolling down her pale cheeks. She bites her bottom lip and turns away from us, but she doesn't say anything.

"Cas, don't you start on us- or I'll start crying too," Fred says shakily. That sends Cas off, and she folds herself up into her knees and lets out a couple of shaky sobs.

"I'm sorry- I'm- I can't…" she cries. I pull her over to me and hold her tightly. She's shaking like crazy and I wonder what exactly has her going off like this- we're all scared, but she's not the type to cry in fear. It usually makes her steel herself all the more. I ask her why she's crying like this. She takes a couple of breaths to calm herself before answering.

"I've spent the whole year mad or avoiding you all, especially you," she says to George, "And when I heard it was Ginny I just thought that it could have just as easily been me or any of you, and I feel so shitty about how I spent my year. You guys mean everything to me," she explains in between sobs. When she says that I feel myself starting to choke up too- I'm no better than her. I spent so much time with Oliver that I neglected my closest friends. What if it was Cas got taken away? What if I never saw her again, and the last substantial conversation we ever had was me ranting at her about how she humiliated me in front of Oliver using Lockhart? I would never be able to forgive myself.

I see that her words affected the twins too. We all sit there on the verge of tears, when Cas pulls herself to her feet, and gets the rest of us up too. She walks us to the old study room- the one none of us have been in since the Christmas Party, and we all sit in a couple of comfy chairs and Cas starts talking about some funny thing that happened during one of her tutoring sessions. It gets us all to crack sad smiles, and we all begin to share stories of the things that we've been experiencing alone for the past year.

The fear and worry are never completely gone, but the fact that we can hold silence at bay keeps us from simply wallowing in despair. We talk the night away uninterrupted, our wands lighting the room when it gets too dark, and our voices never getting louder than whispers. At one point Cas gets up and hugs George again, formally forgiving him for what he did, and apologizing for holding a grudge as long as she did. Then she sits down with Fred, huddling next to him for warmth. I do the same with George.

At some point not long after that we all fall asleep, and wake up in just those same positions in the morning. When I wake up I think I'm the first, until I see Cas. She's curled up next to Fred same as last night, but her eyes are wide open. She's not looking at anything in particular as far as I can see, but she looks peaceful; something I haven't noticed in her for a long time. When she sees I'm awake too she decides to get up, and gently as she can she removes Fred's hand, that wasn't quite spooning her, but was resting on her side. That's when I realize just how comfortable George and I got as we slept; he's got his arm firmly around me, and I was unconsciously holding his hand in mine. I remove my hand from his and shimmy out from under his arm. We stand up and I contemplate just leaving the twins, but Cas decides to wake them up too. She gently pats Fred's shoulder, so I follow suite with George. The boys wake up and are almost immediately gripped with panic.

We all end up running through the castle in no particular direction, until we promptly run into McGonagall. She looks surprised to see students running through the halls, but the surprise subsides when she realizes who it is. She smiles softly and takes the twins, telling Cas and I to go back to our dormitories. I don't want to, but when McGonagall requests something, you do it.

As we're walking away I ask Cas if she thinks Ginny is okay, and with a tired but genuine smile she whips the Map out from her robes- she took them from Fred in the middle of the night.

"I wanted to check but I didn't want to wake anyone by lighting my wand," she explains, "so I just held onto it all night." Together we open it to display the part of the castle we're in, so that we can follow the twins and McGonagall. They walk through the corridors and then the Weasleys's footprints leave the page, and Cas turns frantically to find them again. When she does, it's not just the twins she finds, but all of the Weasleys, including Ginny. We do a quiet little dance and hug each other tight, knowing that things are alright for at least another year.

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 **AN: Thus ends the students' fourth year, and starting soon you'll be able to read the fifth. Thanks for following, keep spreading the word to all your friends.**

 **-cowriter**


	11. 5-1 POV Fred

**AN: This chapter begins the fifth year for the Weasleys and the girls at Hogwarts. Hope you all enjoy, continue following the story, and introduce new people to it at your leisure. Thanks. As always: yours,**

 **-cowriter**

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Chapter 5-1 POV Fred

We were together; we were laughing. Things were back to the way they're supposed to be. Over the summer break we all sent each other weekly letters, saying little to nothing besides the fact that we were all safe and healthy and missing each other. After last spring's fiasco with Ginny going missing, none of us were eager to go our separate ways; George and I even offered to have Cas and Jo to the Burrow for awhile. They declined, but promised to keep in touch. I'll be honest- I was scared for the first week until I got the letter from Cas. She said something last year that really shook me- she said that it could have just as easily been her taken by the Basilisk. She was right, and that terrified me. It's hard enough knowing she's dating the violent and possibly psychotic Miles Mathers, but to think I might lose her in a more permanent way kept me up for a few nights.

We were laughing at Jo and George, sitting just the four of us in our train car on the way to Hogwarts, when it started. There were noises and grinding, and the train stopped. We looked at each other in confusion, and the confusion hasn't subsided for a few minutes now. We're all worried- the Express doesn't stop for anything or anyone. All of us are peering out the window and into the hall of the train, but we can't figure out what's wrong. George and Cas are starting to panic a bit.

I decide to break the tension by pulling out my new crystal ball- I saved up all last year so I could buy myself a quality one for Divination this year. All of my cuts from the sales of our prank products got set aside exactly for this. Jo rolls her eyes when she sees what I've got- she isn't a believer- but Cas's eyes light up. I love seeing her get excited like that, it makes my heart and mind both race, until I remember Mathers; then my blood runs cold.

Cas pulls her suitcase down from the rack over our heads and sets it on the ground like a makeshift table. I set up the ball and ask everyone to focus minds and hold hands. Jo grumbles and Cas laughs, both of them knowing neither of those things are remotely necessary for seeing. I take Cas's hand firmly in mine anyway, and George gives me a look. The two of us are in a similar situation- wanting girls we can't exactly have: Cas is with Miles, and Jo is with Oliver. I guess the girls prefer Keepers to Beaters. We spent quite a few late nights trashing our respective rivals and pretending that we're brave enough to actually express our feelings to the girls.

George kind of has investments in both Cas and Jo; he's basically in love with Jo, obviously, but he's also really worried about Cas's situation, especially since the incident when Mathers beat the shit out of him in jealous warning to keep away from Cas. There was never anything real between George and Cas, but Jo was ignoring him so hard he kind of fell back on Cas. For awhile all of us were pissed, but we've all forgotten about it now. Now George and I have our separate missions, and we say we'll help each other out. For instance, right now George saves me this moment of holding Cas's hand by grabbing her other hand and Jo's. It's a small victory for both of us.

Of course, small victories are by nature short lived, and I genuinely want to test my abilities and my new crystal ball out. Therefore I have to let go of Cas's hand, and I do so with a millisecond of hesitation. I bite my tongue an d focus my mind, looking into the crystal ball. It swirls with mist- my mind isn't completely focused, and for that I blame Cas- so I breathe deeply an d block everything out of my mind. The fog starts clearing, but I don't understand what I'm looking at; everything is still shadowy. Then I see it, and jump in shock.

"The hell?!" Cas exclaims, startled. Jo and George make similar comments.

"A fucking wolf! It jumped at me; it looked freakin' huge- bearing its teeth and snarling and it jumped at me!" I explain.

"Well what the bloody hell does that _mean_?" George asks me, but I just shrug. I have no idea what it means. Tea leaves- they're more symbolic; in tea leaf terms I'm pretty sure a wolf means something bad. Problem is, crystal ball readings are supposed to be a little more literal I think. I can't imagine why I'd be seeing a wolf, though. Hagrid keeps a dog in his hut, but that was definitely not what I just saw, and last time I checked he didn't have any wolves hidden away on the grounds.

"Well, look again- you probably just saw something wrong," Jo says. I roll my eyes at her- you don't just see something wrong; at least I don't. I'm pretty talented in Divination, it's my best class. Nevertheless I sit back down and reach for the ball again- and that's when things get really weird.

I drop the ball as soon as I pick it up; luckily it's a short drop and the thing is fine, not broken or anything. I look at my hands, which are bright red. The crystal ball was as cold as ice- I think it was covered in frost. I look up at everybody's concerned faces, and I see that the window is frosting over too. I just point wordlessly, but George had already noticed and basically shoved Jo's face into the window. At this point we can all feel it in the air, and Cas is shivering. The entire train is freezing.

I normally don't mind the cold- I mean, no one really loves being freezing or anything, but normally it doesn't get me down, but this is different. I sit there watching Cas shiver all pale and damn-near blue lipped, and all I can picture is her dead. I have no bloody idea why, but I can't get the image of her dead body out of my head, and then as I try to forget the thought, it just shifts to seeing Ginny lifeless in that Chamber of Secrets. I feel the cold seeping way into me, like all there is to life is death, and losing the people you love. I look at George and all I think is how depressed I would be if he died. It's so bad I can't get myself to even try to force the thoughts out of my head. It's the worst I've felt in my entire life.

Then just as suddenly as it came on, the frost lifts- not melts, but fades. The cold just goes away, and so do the thoughts. I sit there frozen for a second, at once ashamed and frightened by what just happened. I shake it off and look at George again. He's pale and his eyes look haunted. I'm guessing I'm a mirror image. Cas is still shaking, but I don't think it's from cold anymore. Jo looks pretty freaked out too.

"What the actual fuck, Fred?" She demands, staring at me. I throw my hands up in defense; I had nothing to do with that shit. Luckily Cas jumps to my aid.

"Dementors," she whispers. We make her repeat herself, but that doesn't help her with the volume.

"They're creatures- they're really fucked up creatures. They guard the wizard prisons; I have no idea why they'd be anywhere near here. They're despair incarnate," she tries to explain. We all sit in silence for a minute trying to mull this information over, but it's not much of a comfort. I'd much rather forget about the dementors altogether. I reach down and pick up my crystal ball, inspect it for scratches, and put it back in my bag. Cas lifts her trunk back up to the rack over her head just as the Express begins moving again.

"Are you sure it wasn't a dementor you saw in the vision?" George asks me. I make a face.

"I'm not blind, you wanker- I know the difference between a wolf and…what does a dementor look like, Cas?" She doesn't respond, but I don't prod, knowing I made my point. We ride in silence, none of us admitting exactly how the dementors affected us. The train lets out and we make our way to the carriages that take us to Hogwarts. The feast is tainted with bad feelings left behind from the Express, but the mood lightens with the announcement of a new Professor- Lockhart left last year after experiencing a 'mental breakdown'. The new guy looks nice enough, maybe a little odd, but an overall improvement from last year.

I'm sitting with my friends at the feast, all fifth years, but Cas isn't with me. As soon as she got into the building Mathers swooped in and took her away, with a little warning glare at me. I didn't put up a fight, so I don't think I have anything to be afraid of, maybe some extra drills during the first Quidditch practice, but that doesn't bother me. What bothers me is watching her sit there next to him; he's feeding her and she's giggling and I feel sick. It's stupid- she's my friend and that should be enough for me. I don't want to make out with her; I don't want to take her to bed. I just want her back next to me at meals. I want her lying on the couch with me like that night last spring- she fell asleep and I just listened to her breathe. She kept me sane through that long night worrying about Ginny, and I don't know why after a moment like that she's with him and not me.


	12. 5-2 POV Jo

Chapter 5-2 POV Jo

Things have really changed in the past couple of months- it started last year really, with all of the inter-House tensions, the attacks, and finally the night when Ginny got taken. Cas, the twins, and I had a really long talk that night, and it got pretty heavy. We aired most, if not all, of our grievances to each other, and we got a lot closer for it. Me personally, I vowed not to take my friendship with any of them for granted anymore. I think over the summer I really matured a lot, and since we got back to school I've really worked to maintain that maturity.

My main focus has been my relationship with Oliver. For starters- it's the best relationship ever. He's the perfect man, and I'm not too bad myself. But we've both been more than a little childish through the whole thing. It's all been about how long we can hold hands, and how many times we see each other in a day, and teasing each other. It's what they call the 'honeymoon' phase- everything's all lovey-dovey and we've been in our own little world. But now we're breaking out. We schedule our dates, and we don't get all kissy in public anymore, no matter how much we want to. I think we've come to really respect each other a lot more. And because of all of this, I've been a lot better friend to Cas and the twins, especially George. I've been informed of how much damage I really did by him since I started dating Oliver, and I've fixed myself. Now I schedule private time with George, as well as the time we spend with Fred, Cas, and our various other friends. I take turns dining with Oliver and my fifth year friends. I do class work with the people in my classes instead of either having Cas do it for me, or having Oliver help me with it. I'm a new woman.

Today I set a date with Oliver. We're not doing anything special- I just really wanted to walk down to Hagrid's hut and see his Hippogriff again. I've been visiting it every chance I get ever since learning about it and meeting it during my Care of Magical Creatures class with Hagrid. I've actually really come to like Hagrid as a teacher and sort of as a friend- he's basically the nicest person in this school besides Charlotte. But that aside, Hipogriffs are basically the coolest things in the world. They're like amazing horse-eagles. Oliver laughed when I explained my love for Buckbeak, and he asked if he should be jealous. I, in all seriousness, said yes.

So we meet up and start down to Hagrid's Hut. We talk about our classes and friends and about Quidditch. He's actually got his broom with him now- he was doing some practices with the newest members of the team while I had class and was doing some work. After some escalating light teasing, I propose a race to the Hut and he ends up jumping on his broom and whizzing over. I'm athletic and very much in shape, but I cannot catch up to, let alone beat, someone flying on a broomstick top speed. I run as fast as I can anyway, and finally get to the Hut to find Oliver laughing hysterically at me. When I get to him I have to bend over to catch my breath, and he tugs my ponytail in his usually teasing fashion. I'm about to retaliate when I catch sight of Buckbeak and leave Oliver cold.

I go through the basic steps of befriendsing a hippogriff: bowing and presenting it with food. I feel like Cas might secretly be a hippogriff on some level. As I finally get to the part of the process where I can pet Buckbeak, Hagrid comes out. I didn't exactly tell him I was coming, or bringing Oliver, but at this point he's used to me showing up randomly to spoil his pet. He finds me endearing in that way.

"Would you like to ride 'im?" he asks me suddenly, and I'm shocked. "He seems to really like you, and I know yer a flyer, I think it'd be alright by him, if yer up fer it," he continues, and I nod vigorously. Hagrid laughs his deep, belly-shaking laugh and unchains Buckbeak. He lifts me up and helps me get myself onto Buckbeak.

"Now, don't pull any feathers- he'd hate ya fer that," he warns, and I nod seriously. I look to Oliver, who's wide-eyed himself. I realize I kind of ignored him after seeing Buckbeak. I kick myself for that- I'm treating him the way I treated George, and it's wrong.

"I-I mean, I don't have to go, since we're on a date-" I stammer. Oliver shakes his head and laughs, holding up his broom.

"I'll come with you, ferret," he tells me with a wink, and then we're both off. The wind is in my face and I feel ever little move Buckbeak makes-it's not like flying a broom at all, and I honestly can't say which is better. Buckbeak flies through the dark forest, and I do next to nothing in the way of navigating. I trust Buckbeak. I keep reminding myself to look over to Oliver, who's following as close as he can without spooking the Hippogriff. He's grinning every time I look, so I'm not too worried about making him feel isolated or unwanted. All of the sudden we break out of the dark forest, and we're over the lake that sits on top of the Slytherin dorms. I gasp, seeing everything spread out before me. I cling to Buckbeak, careful not to tug any feathers or make him upset. Oliver flies up beside us and splashes some water our way. I laugh but don't dare try to reach the water to splash back. Suddenly Buckbeak tilts his wing down, sending a spray back at Oliver, and I scream in delight.

We turn around and go back into the forest, but I can't really tell if we're taking the same path or a different one from how we came. It doesn't bother me though, as long as Oliver's keeping up. I'm looking back for him when suddenly I hear tiny flapping wings, and a bunch of bats or birds or bugs or something rise up out of nowhere and Buckbeak flies right through them. Unfortunately for me, Buckbeaks eats basically any winged thing smaller than he is, and he jerks back to follow the flock of whatever they are in hopes of a snack. Unprepared for the change of course, I go flying.

The impact of hitting the ground is worse than any Bludger or Quidditch injury. I roll a couple of times before coming to a stop, and even then I'm afraid to try to move. I'm worried that I broke any number of bones, because my entire body feels sore. I lay face down, trying to find the strength to breathe; I know I can do it, but the fear of it being painful is preventing me from actually doing it.

"Jo! Jolene?!" I hear Oliver calling from above me. I feel the wind as he touches down and dismounts the broom, and he rushes over to me. He takes me by the shoulders and pulls me up, and I gasp in pain. On the plus side, this quick starts more regular breathing, and I get my wind back.

"Are you alright?" Oliver asks me, and I smile and nod. My neck doesn't hurt, which is a good sign. I test all my limbs and various body parts- hands, arms, feet, legs, fingers, shoulders. Everything seems to be uninjured, and the pain is only dull now. It's a good thing I didn't try to stick the landing, or I might have broken my ankle or leg.

Oliver hugs me tight to him and I starts laughing at his worry; he knows I'm tough enough not to be broken by a little tumble like that. He shuts up my laughter with a kiss. It's passionate and he tastes salty; I must taste like dirt, and I laugh into his mouth at the thought. He pulls back smiling, and he's looking at me with these eyes, and I just _know_ : Oliver loves me. I love him too. We don't need to say it, and I know we both feel it.

Suddenly there's something else in his eyes, and he takes his hands off of me. He stands up and offers his hand. As he pulls me up I immediately fall into him and we're on the ground kissing again. He's on top of me, kissing my lips and my neck, and I unconsciously sigh with pleasure. He stops kissing me to laugh at the noise I just made, and I swat him on the arm.

"I'm ready," I say. The words just slip out, but they're one hundred percent true. I'm sixteen, I'm in love, and most importantly, I respect the hell out of Oliver. We've taken our relationship to a level of absolute trust and respect and love. I'm ready. He looks at me with these eyes that are hard with the severity of what I just said, but at the same time softened by so much emotion; he smiles and nods, and I nod back, and we start taking each other's robes off. Then the clothes underneath. He's kissing me all over, and I'm doing the same to him. I feel my heart racing and my breathing getting faster and faster. His hands slip between my legs and I sigh again. He kisses me fiercely one last time before we completely strip and give ourselves to each other on a makeshift blanket made of our robes. He's gentle with me at first, but it still hurts, in the best possible way. Everything we do feels amazing; it's the most alive I've ever felt, and the most gratifying thing I've ever done. When we finish, I lay with my head on his chest, breathing deeply. He runs his fingers through my hair absentmindedly as I nuzzle against him.

"I love you," I tell him. He kisses me on the top of my head in response. We sit up and collect our clothes and get dressed. Oliver tries in vain to rebraid my hair, so I just put it up in a ponytail. Oliver and I get on his broom and search out Buckbeak, who isn't too hard to find. Then we head back to Hagrid's Hut to return the Hippogriff. We walk back to the castle in silence, holding hands. We don't get looks anymore when we go around like this; people are used to us being a public couple. With every person that passes, I briefly blush. Oliver laughs at my embarrassment.

"What's wrong?" He teases. I swat him repeatedly.

"I'm modest," I say sarcastically, even though it is the exact truth and is the reason I'm blushing so uncontrollably.

"You weren't exactly modest in the forest," he mutters into my ear with a smirk. For once I didn't blush, and I think Oliver is about as surprised as I am.

"Neither were you," I smirk back, and Oliver laughs, kissing my head.


	13. 5-3 POV Cas

Chapter 5-3 POV Cas

Fred and I shared a curious glance as Professor Lupin explained the lesson of the day: boggarts. Everyone fears fear; but not nearly as much as they fear honesty. The number of times 'what's your greatest fear' has come up during the Slytherin bonding night after sorting is impossible to count, but neither Fred nor I have ever been asked. I look over to Jo, who's whispering with George. I'm glad this is a Gryffindor/Slytherin class. I already know Jo's fear, but I'm curious to see it play out. She's been acting different lately, and I decide that after class I'm going to confront her about it. It's nothing bad- in fact, this entire year she's seemed to have grown a lot as a person. No more of that disgusting PDA with Oliver, and she's making a solid effort to have separate time to spend with her boyfriend and her friend-friends. But in the past few weeks she's been even more different, and I can't put my finger on what's changed.

I turn my thoughts back to the task at hand. In thinking about it, I honestly have no idea what my greatest fear is. Sure, I have rational fears of spiders, monsters, and all the usual, but I don't know what I fear most in the world. I don't think it really matters, as Lupin explains that a simple spell will get rid of it. I can handle a simple spell- hell, I can handle the more advanced stuff. I have the most control and talent of anyone in this room, save the professor.

As a professor, Lupin is one of the best. Snape is still my favorite, but there's something about Lupin that I just trust. The problem is he's not always in class for me to try and win him over. I don't know where he goes, but every few weeks he takes a retreat or something, which I've never heard another teacher doing before. I let it slide though, since it's sometimes Snape that fills in for him. The other cool thing about Lupin is that he teaches us the hard stuff- the real Dark Arts, in a way. Like today, for example, we're facing a real life boggart. These things will fuck some people up, but we're learning about them hands-on. Quirrell and Lockhart would have been afraid to teach us something like this even just with books. Lupin is by far the best Defense teacher we've had yet.

We all line up to prepare for the task, and I fall in the middle of the line. Good- it'll be good for us to see some demonstrations and know what to look forward to. Jo is the first of the four of us, then the twins, then me. Lupin puts on an old record and releases the boggart, who begins shifting and scaring. First it's a giant snake, and then a murderous clown, then the room just goes black. No one has too much trouble casting the spell, and Lupin is pleased with the class so far. The line moves quickly and I feel my heart rate picking up a little bit. I try to think of the happy memory I'll use to cast the spell, but nothing is coing to mind so I figure it'll be a spur of the moment thing.

Next thing I know, Jo steps up to face the creature. It had been turned from a giant rat into a giant bunny, and it just stares at her for a second until it sort of spirals into itself, and becomes a werewolf. It stands seven feet tall with pale skin, red eyes, and sharp, jagged teeth. Jo doesn't move at first, and the beast lifts it head up and howls before leaning over as if preparing to pounce on Jo. That's the moment when she raises her wand and casts the spell, and the werewolf becomes a puppy dog. It rolls on its back for a tummy rub, but Jo knows better than to approach, and she joins her successful classmates in the back of the room. I try to get a look at her face, expecting pride, but instead her cheeks are as red as her robes, and she may or may not be giggling. I'm about to point this out to Fred, but George has approached the boggart, and it's beginning to change.

The puppy becomes the dead body of Fred. His eyes are glazed over, looking up at the ceiling, and his hands are lying limply by his side. I look at the real Fred next to me, and he's shocked and scared. George is raising his wand, but I see his hand shaking horribly. It takes him a second but he casts the spell, and the corpse becomes a flower garden. George runs to the group of victors, not looking back.

It's Fred's turn to step up, so I pat his arm in support. He touches my hand just briefly, before I pull it back and he steps forward. The flower garden disappears, and then two bodies spring up- both very much alive. This time it's George, and behind him is some hooded figure. The figure has a wand held to George's neck, and I realize it's a hostage situation. The figure lifts his wand as if preparing to cast a spell, and instead of raising his own, Fred lunges at the boggart. It evaporates for a second as Fred lands on the ground. Then the creature reappears between me and Fred, but even from the back I can tell something is different.

"You're too late. You let him die. You didn't save him," the figure taunts. Fred looks horrified for a second, but he closes his eyes tight and I see him breathing deep. He raises his wand and casts the spell, and the hooded figure becomes a giant tree. Fred skirts around it and goes immediately to George, and the brothers embrace. I, along with the whole class, look at them. We're all touched, and everyone gets a little boost of hope, seeing how much the twins care about each other.

I turn around to face the tree, but it's gone. I'm staring at a mirror image of myself. I lift my wand, ready to cast the spell and be done with this, and the boggart me lifts her wand too. She opens her mouth, but instead of words, a painful gasp comes out. I lower my wand in shock, watching as this other me slowly gets paler and paler. She drops her wand and pulls back her sleeve, revealing long, deep cuts on her arm with blood streaming out. She screams and takes her robe off, trying to wrap it around her arm, when similar cuts appear on the other arm. She falls to her knees and a pool of her blood is forming around her- around me too. Her eyes- my eyes- start leaking tears, which too become blood, and this other me starts wailing in pain and fear. She's frantically ripping up her clothes trying to stop the bleeding, and she reaches for her wand again. She raises it, but it just makes the blood pour out faster, and cuts start appearing on her cheeks and neck. She's gasping for breath now, and coughing up blood, until suddenly she falls to the ground.

I stand in shock, thinking it's over, and I find myself frozen to the bone- I can't even lift my wand to cast the spell. I become aware that the record stopped playing, and Lupin is coming over to me. I look back at my corpse on the ground, in a puddle of blood, and I lift my wand. But before I can say anything the blood turns black and begins bubbling, and my corpse begins screaming again, her flesh burning. Lupin races over to me, but in that second I lift my wand and wave it haphazardly- I have to get rid of this thing. Lupin and a few other students get knocked back a bit, but my body is still there, still struggling and screaming. I feel tears running down my own face and I keep waving my wand, but it's not doing anything. Every time I move my wand, the other me's screaming just gets louder and louder, and I can't focus. I fall to my knees and drop my wand, over and over again just begging the thing to stop.

Then Lupin comes back. He stands in front of me and the screaming stops, and all the blood goes away. I don't see what the boggart becomes because he gets rid of it so quickly, and hastily tells the class that they're dismissed. Everyone leaves, even Jo and the twins, upon further prompting from Lupin. He sits down next to me and pulls into a hug, my head against his chest. I'm not sobbing or even crying anymore, just shaking uncontrollably. He helps me get my breathing back to normal, and then pulls me to my feet. He puts his hands on my shoulders and looks me right in the eyes. I try to look away, but he doesn't let me.

"It's okay, Cassidy. It's gone now. That boggart, do you know what it was doing? The thing you fear most?" I shake my head and feel more tears burning behind my eyes. I'm scared and embarrassed.

"You're afraid of losing control. It's obviously a very strong fear, the way it took over like that. I want to help you learn to control it, okay?" I nod my head, but I still can't speak for fear that I'll start crying again.

"Take the rest of the day off, okay? Tomorrow come and see me, and we'll work out a schedule for-" we're interrupted by a banging on the door. Before Lupin can respond, it flies open, and Miles comes running in. He grabs me by the shoulders and tears me away from Lupin.

"Are you alright? What the hell happened, Cas?" He looks angry, and genuinely worried. Somehow it's not comforting right now, and I look back at Lupin with baleful eyes.

"I lost control," I whisper.


	14. 5-4 (POV Cas)

Chapter 5-4 POV Cas

"You're not the twin I asked for," I say with a sarcastically teasing tone. George shoves my arm and I gasp, and he jumps back in worry.

"Fooled you," I laugh, and he shoves me again. We're in the Potions Dungeon. I just finished up with a tutoring session, but Snape made me hang back because he wanted me to make a potion for him. He didn't tell me what it was; just gave me a list of ingredients and instructions. A quick glance revealed that it would not only be pretty difficult, but it would also be insanely time consuming. I really wanted to talk to Fred about some things; Jo and George too, but Fred first. Unfortunately my first year student couldn't tell the difference, and sent me the wrong Weasley.

"Not every has your eye for telling us apart," George tells me, but I just roll my eyes and keep working on the potion. "What did you want to talk about, anyway?"

"None of your business; although there is something I wanted to talk with you and Jo about too. Here- you have the Map? Or does Fred still have it?" I look at him after a second of silence. His face looks..well, it looks like he doesn't have good news for me.

"Don't freak out, Cassidy, but…we don't have the Map," he says before his hands fly up in a defensive position. If I knew what the potion did, I'd throw it in his eyes. I'm furious.

"Where the hell is it?" I demand, "Filtch? A professor? By god, George Weasley, I will not hesitate to kill you," I snarl. He takes a few steps back before lowering his arm to make a clear explanation.

"You know Harry Potter?" I nod. "He- well, he's a third year, see, but his awful muggle keepers wouldn't sign the form so he could go to Hogsmede. He tried to sneak there using that cloak of his, and me and Fred saw him going on the Map. Took pity on the kid- we gave him the Map, okay? You have the bloody thing memorized anyway- we found all the secret passages there are to find. He needed it more than we do," He explains. I take a couple of deep breaths before responding as calmly as possible.

"When exactly did you do this?" I ask.

"…before Christmas?" he tells me. I bite my lip."Look Cassidy, it's-"

"That was my Map. Not yours, not Harry Potter's. It was-"

"It wasn't your Map, remember? It was the Marauders'. It was time, okay? Let it go…also don't kill me, it was Fred's idea."

I shake my head and take a few more breaths. I really did think of it as my Map, but George is right- it doesn't belong to any one person; it exists for whoever needs it most, starting with those brilliant bastards called themselves 'marauders'.

"You're lucky you took this long to tell me. Fucking brilliant timing, in fact."

"Why's that?" George asks cautiously.

"Because after this, we may not need the Map anymore."

I then begin a detailed explanation of my plan, only to be spoken aloud in confidence. It'll take time, and we'll be risking our lives, and risking expulsion, and jail time too. It's the best plan in the history of plans.

"Animagi?"

"Animagi."

"And Jo and Fred are on board?"

"I haven't told them yet. Are you on board?" He takes a second before nodding, but nod he does.

We spend another hour discussing the details. I'll be doing most of the leg work, but if we all agree to do this, we'll all have to put a fair amount of blood, sweat, and tears into this. I've already done all the research, and have all the ingredients gathered. I show George my stash, and he helps me with the potion for Snape. I can't tell exactly what it is, but I think it has to do with transfiguration. It's not polyjuice though, and that's the only potion I know with transformative properties for organic matter. George isn't as concerned or as curious as I am.

"So…was this why you were looking for Fred? You were going to tell him first?" I don't answer immediately when George asks this. Fact is, I needed someone to confide in, and it wasn't about to be Miles, or George, or even Jo. I've been trying for months now to master my fear of losing control. Every week I have a meeting with Lupin. We talk, sometimes we eat, we meditate, and he has me face boggarts. In all the time we've been working together, I haven't once been able to successfully cast the _Ridikulous_ spell. I was going to confide in Fred- I don't want to look weak to anyone; not even Fred, but I feel like I can trust him with this.

I halfheartedly nod at George, but I know he can tell I'm lying. Luckily for me he changes the subject:

"So, how'd you get the idea? And all the supplies?" he asks. Of course, that sort of relates to my main problem too: I originally got the idea of trying out an illegal and incredibly difficult spell because I wanted to prove to myself that I really am in full control of my powers. Of course, I'm not about to disclose this to my current company.

"First year I got jealous of McGonagall. The idea's been in my head ever since. As for the supplies; a lot of under the table deals with the profits from those prank products you and Fred keep having me make before you sell them." This makes George laugh because in all honesty, the Weasley's products are a major underground hit at Hogwarts, thanks in part to my magical mastery of Charms and Potions. I think George is about to rebut when the door flies open.

"Hey Miles!" I jump to my feet, happy to see him. I go over and give him a hug. I completely forgot we were going to dinner together in Hogsmede. Time slipped away when George got me talking about all of my plans.

"What're you doing here?" Miles demands from George. He does that sometimes- he can be a little overprotective of me. But on hearing this I can see George get…if I didn't know better, I'd say he was scared of Miles. I get that my boyfriend is intimidating, but George is my friend, so I figured the two of them might have connected because of me. I guess because they're rivals, friendship isn't really in the cards.

"He was helping me with a project for Snape," I tell Miles, who runs his fingers through my hair; he convinced me to keep the short, streaky punk style I had to adopt after a prank Jo pulled on me. Then he does something out of character- he takes me by the waist and lifts me up and kisses me deeply. I'm pretty surprised, and I pull back.

"Miles!" I gasp. He looks at me with hard eyes, and puts me down.

"Just showing my girl some love," he says. I roll my eyes and pull him down to me so I can kiss his cheek.

"Not in front of the children," I say playfully, and he takes my hand and starts pulling me out of the dungeons. I look back at George, who doesn't seem amused.

"Clean up for me? You totally owe me for that thing," I yell back at him as I'm pulled out the door, "And fill the others in on the plan, okay? We can meet up later to discuss!" With that I'm out of range, and I start keeping pace with Miles as he leads me to our dinner.

"Is everything okay?" I ask him once we're walking through Hogsmede. He seems a little off.

"I was worried about you, ever since…And I didn't like finding you alone with that Gryffindor." He spits the last part, about George. I don't know how or why, but Miles had one of the kids from my Defense Against the Dark Arts class report to him about my little incident with the boggart. He's been worried about me ever since, and he keeps trying to get me to talk to him about it, but I really don't want to. All I told him was that I lost control, but that I'm okay now. He doesn't believe me.

"There's a storm coming, and I want you to be with me when it hits," he tells me. I have no idea what that means, and honestly it's a little creepy, but I tell him that I'm always with him. He pulls me a little closer to him until we sit down to eat.


	15. 5-5 POV Jo

Preface: An excerpt from Chapter Nine of _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_ :

No one said anything. The horrible truth sank into Harry like a stone.

"Diggory got the Snitch," said George. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square... even Wood admits it."

"Where is Wood?" said Harry, suddenly realizing he wasn't there.

"Still in the showers…We think he's trying to drown himself."

* * *

Chapter 5-5 POV Jo

I know I wasn't the only one who screamed when Harry fell. It was like time froze- he's just hovering there, not focused on anything, and then he just drops out of the air like stone. No one knew what to do, and for a second everyone just watched- then George and I raced over and caught him, just before he hit the ground. He may have died if we didn't. I looked back up after we had and saw something I secretly considered a million times more horrifying: Diggory had caught the snitch. We lost the match. As I looked up I saw that prat looking down at us, and he started waving his hands: he wanted to call off his own victory, but we all knew that they had won fair and square. Fucking Hufflepuffs.

A bunch of people came over to check on Harry, and he got taken to the infirmary. He was still unconscious as they carried him off. I was scared, as were a lot of people, but I don't think anyone really believes that Harry Potter, the bloody Boy Who Lived, could die like this. It doen't make sense. So a lot of people are running after him, making their way to the Infirmary wing. The team hits the lockers to change into our regular robes, and once I'm changed I realize I haven't seen Oliver since the accident. I ask around, and apparently he immediately went to the prefect's shower. Usually he's pretty quick, but he's still there fifteen minutes later. Something's wrong.

As the rest of the team goes up to be with Harry, I have to find Oliver. I'm pushing and shoving my way to the locker room, cursing the twins for getting rid of the Map; it would come in handy right now, while I'm trying to get into the boy's bathroom unnoticed and uninterrupted. They just had to give the damn thing away. I bite my tongue accidently and mentally curse myself. See, the problem is that I can't really talk or be verbal in any way. A little over a month ago Cas approached all of us with a proposition: that we all become Animagi. It sounded scary, dangerous, illegal, and exactly like the kind of thing we should totally do. Part of the process is holding a mandrake leaf under your tongue for not a few hours, or a few days even, but an entire month. It has been a long motherfuck of a month. I can't talk to my friends, answer questions in class, and it's so uncomfortable. I wake up randomly in the middle of the night choking on the bloody thing; but if I swallow the leaf, I have to start all over. I'm not doing this for a second longer than I have to. I'm getting enough questions and weird looks as is.

Cas is actually doing most of the legwork, and having the hardest time. She has to juggle this with all her other work, plus her relationship with Miles, her tutoring, and her secret sessions with Lupin. I'm not supposed to know about them, but I followed her one week and sat outside the door while she went. She started screaming at one point and I nearly went in, but Lupin helped her calm down. I've wanted to approach him about it, but how can I when I can hardly speak? Which makes me wonder how Cas keeps doing those meetings. Unfortunately, I have more pressing matters to worry about, namely my MIA boyfriend. I zip around until I find the prefects' bathroom- no one in sight. Good. I hear the shower running, and realize that it's true- Oliver's drowning his sorrows; possibly drowning himself- he can be so melodramatic when we lose. Instead of knocking I just go right in.

"Wood? You still in here?" I shout. My voice echoes around the room. I'm not exactly prefect material, but if the girl prefects' bathroom is half as nice as this, I might well try for the spot.

"Bloody hell you doing in here, ferret?" He shouts back in response. I figure out which stall he's in- it's the only one currently in use- and stand outside of it.

"Are you trying to kill yourself? Or just the team's spirit?" I accuse, half-seriously. My voice sounds muffled since I'm trying to keep the leaf in place.

"That was a robbery, Jolene! We deserved to win!" Instead of trying to speak again I just sort of grumble. The door to the stall swings open suddenly, and I'm faced with my naked boyfriend drenched in water. I jump back and look away.

"What was that?" He asks. I shake my head, still looking away. Then my very wet, very naked boyfriend takes a step closer to me and splashes me with water. I bite back a scream and hop a bit, but I still get wet. I look him in the eyes and glare, and his steely eyes match mine. Then he takes another step closer to me, takes my cheeks in his cold hands, and kisses me. I pull back before he can figure out I've got mandrake leaf under my tongue.

"No kissing," I mutter, knowing where this is going; where I want this to go. He nods, and I nod back, and he pushes me up against the bathroom wall. We've done it a couple of times since that day in the forest, but he's always been gentle. This is different; he's angry now. Not at me, but he's really pissed, and he's showing it. He tears my clothes off of me quickly, kissing my neck and pulling my hair. He boosts me up so my legs are wrapped around him, and I'm trapped between his body and the cold bathroom wall. He carries me into the shower stall where the water is still running, and we take our time getting all of our frustrations out. He doesn't hold back, and every touch is explosive. When we both finish, I'm tired enough to fall asleep right there, but that's obviously not an option.

Instead I have to put back on my now completely soaked clothes and we sneak as best we can back to the dorms. Luckily most everyone is still with Harry, and we only run into a couple of younger Ravenclaw kids on our way. Once we're in the common room I make a distraction by knowing some vases over with my wand, giving us both the chance to run up to our respective beds. That night I get the best sleep I've ever had.

The next morning I eat with George. He looks mad…he can't know, can he? I haven't told anyone about me and Oliver taking things as far as we have. Fear rushes through me as I imagine all of the possible ways George could have found out. All of them end with me dying of embarrassment.

"You didn't come see Harry," he says. I look at him but don't respond right away- he's right, I never did. I was going to, obviously. The idea of my teammate- our seeker- hurt and lying up in the infirmary broke my heart. Not as much as the idea of my boyfriend sulking and totally freaking the team out though. At the end of the day I like Harry, but I love Oliver.

"I was scared to- I thought if I went there I might find him dead. As long as I didn't go, he was still alive," I respond. It's not true at all, and I feel so incredibly guilty lying like that. The guilt actually supports my story, and George pats my shoulder.

"I'd be more worried about Oliver- he spent so much time in the showers last night the whole team was worried he was drowning himself."

I promptly choke on my breakfast.


	16. 5-6 POV George

Chapter 5-6 POV George

It's the strangest thing: you're simultaneously more ready than you think, but not nearly as ready as you should be, when the most important things happen in life. That's how we are right now; Fred, Jo, Cassidy, and I. We've put in the blood and sweat, and maybe even some tears, and by hell we've put in the time. We've drank potions, chanted spells, and held bloody mandrake leaves in our mouths for a month. It's finally time reap the rewards.

Now, ideally we would be doing at like midnight in the deepest part of the dark forest; instead, it's lunchtime and we're in the restricted section of the library. We've magically locked the doors, and Cassidy found a spell to make sure no one can hear what's going on. Not ideal, but the best we can do.

See, the castle's been held basically hostage all year by the news that the mass murderer Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and may or may not be targeting the castle and Harry Potter. Ever since Harry got to this school we've been having bizarre trouble and serious threats from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, who last time anyone checked, died like a dozen years ago. But then he got reincarnated as like the hair on Quirrell's head or something, then his ghost kidnapped my sister, and now his most devoted and psychotic follower is coming to finish what You-Know-Who started. Harry Potter is a crazy magnet.

So now there's a curfew in place, and no one is allowed on the grounds unless they're escorted by a professor, and yeah, we're all scared. The Fat Lady got attacked a while back, and she says it was Sirius Black, in the castle. That's got everyone freaked, even those who don't believe the Black rumors. The Fat Lady is like everyone's really annoying drunk egotistical aunt, and we all love her. Now it's personal.

Anyway, we can't get to the dark forest, and we can't get out at night, so instead we're in the library while everyone is eating. Jo is hopping around with excitement, Fred is shaking his hands like crazy, psyching himself up, and Cassidy is very pale and very still. She's been off her game all year, and it's freaking us all out. She's even gotten in the habit of just following Miles around like a puppy when she isn't doing work or meeting with Lupin. Jo told me and Fred how screwed up she is about the boggarts. I think this is her chance to get over her fear, although I don't know what this has to do about dying a bloody death.

Jo does one last check to make sure the gates to the restricted section are locked, and that the spell Cassidy put on the area is working. She gives us the all clear, and it's time to test our new abilities. All we have to do is wave our wands and say one last spell- apparently we'll need our wands for awhile to properly change, since what we're doing is in a way a giant, permanent spell. I don't know how that will work if we need to change real quick or something, but I'm more worried about what animal I'm going to turn into once I wave my wand.

"You're probably something stupid like a squid," Fred jokes nervously. We've all spent more than a rational amount of time speculating what we're each going to be. The only person we've got pinned is Cassidy- she's a cat. Plain and simple. She only proves our point by hissing at us whenever we bring it up. She hates the idea of being a cat, but there's no other animal we can think of that embodies her. She explained early on that you can't pick your animal form; it's got something to do with your soul. I'm still hoping that if I try really hard, I'll be a dragon. Jo wants to be a Hippogriff for some reason. Fred and I, we're just assuming we'll be the same thing since we're twins and all, and he's down with being dragons.

We all gather together and decide to start. I volunteer to go first, since Cassidy for once is not volunteering, and Jo isn't about to be a guinea pig. Or is she? But it was either me or Fred, and being from the House of the Brave and all, I decided to volunteer.

Cassidy hands me a slip of paper with the incantation, and she gives me a really tight hug. I practice in my head a few times, take a deep breath, close my eyes, and raise my wand.

It's painful, the transformation. Like every muscle in y body is being squeezed and compressed and set on fire and stabbed. I don't recommend it. When I open my eyes again all I see are legs, I look up and see Jo and Cassidy with their eyes covered, but Fred is staring down at me bug-eyed. He shakes the girls silently, and when Jo opens her eyes she squeals and drops to her knees, reaching out to me. I take a step back and she squeals again in delight.

Cassidy is smiling too, which is reassuring. She grabs a mirror from her knapsack and holds it out in front of me: I'm a dog; a dappled basset hound, complete with a tuft of orangey fur on the top of my little head. I'm not as intimidating as I had hoped, but I'm damned cute. I go to ask Cassidy how to reverse the process, but instead of words, a deep bark erupts from the back of my throat. Jolene is dying of happiness, and once again tries to pet me. I snarl at her, but she just laughs. Cassidy then shows me the process of reversing the transformation, and after a couple of minutes I'm back to myself. Luckily for some unknown reason, clothes shift with you, so I'm not naked when I become myself again.

Next is Fred's turn. I think he's going to be a dog too, but he surprises us all by transforming into a little red fox. Little isn't actually a great explanation- he's probably the same size if not bigger than I am as a hound.

"A fox and a hound!" Jo exclaims, "You two are the cutest-" Fred cuts her off with a little bark of his own. I didn't know foxes bark, but apparently they do. It's not like when I bark, which is all gruff and deep; his bark is high pitched and short. It's pretty cool. It takes him a little bit longer to reverse the transformation, but when he does Cassidy basically jumps on him, hugging him tight. After she gets off I give him a high five.

Next is Jo's turn, and she's raring to go. She doesn't need time to center herself or practice the spell; she just grabs the paper and her wand, and in a flash she shrinks and shrinks and shrinks, until all that's left is a ferret. That's right. A mother fucking ferret.

No one can say anything. We just stare down at her wide eyed in shock. She must really love Oliver if he's so affected her that she's a ferret, just like he's been calling her since the day they met. She makes a little noise- a squeak, really- and skitters over to Cassidy, who's been in charge of the mirror. Cassidy looks absolutely terrified of her best friend, and she holds the mirror behind her back. This is the breaking point for me and Fred, and we both start cracking up. Ferret Jo looks up at us in what assume is confusion, and so I grab the mirror from Cassidy and show Jo her true self. Not a second later human Jo is back, redder than anything I've ever seen.

"No!" she shouts, causing the rest of us to laugh even harder; Cassidy has even joined the fun. There's about five minutes of denial and teasing and Jo even manages to do another transformation again to make sure everyone saw right the first time. Needless to say, we did.

Finally it's Cassidy's turn, and we're all a little nervous. Her fear is visible and damn near palpable. She opens her mouth, and I'm positive she's about to chicken out, so I cut her off and start chanting her name. Jo and Fred pick it up too, but they cut it from "Cas-sid-y" to just plain old "Cas". I'm okay with that this once. She, on the other hand, is not, and convinces us to "shut the bloody hell up". We oblige and she takes a few deep breaths and reads the incantation over, practicing the wand motions. Her voice isn't shaky like I expected it to be as she's casting the spell, and the next thing any of us know, she's no longer Cassidy the short skinny pale punk witch.

Jo is the first to laugh. I am the second. Fred is the third. Cassidy Walker, the polar opposite of physical or intimidating, is a giant motherfucking wolf. Sleek grey with- and I'm not joking- what looks like a couple of grey-green streaks behind her wolf-ears. She starts whimpering, which just makes Jo laugh even harder.

"Can someone say 'over-compensating'?" she wheezes, and that just about kills Fred. Cassidy is wiggling around, clearly uncomfortable, so I break down and show her the mirror. She looks into it and sits up, calmer now that she knows she succeeded. I try to put the mirror down, but she puts her paw up awkwardly- still not a coordinated being, even as a wolf- and makes me hold it up as she examines herself for another minute.

"Vain much?" Jo finally says, putting the mirror down. It takes Cassidy a minute but then she's herself again. Her face is stained with tears, but not because she's sad; she's relieved. She did it; she beat her inner demon. We all hug her and head off to try and catch the tail end of lunch, carrying a new secret that bonds us together.


	17. 5-7 POV Cas

Chapter 5-7 POV Cas

It still hurts every time I change, but I'm practicing every chance I get; every time I'm alone. It's not easy- I'm pretty big as a wolf, and walking on four paws is hard. Apparently I'm still not graceful or remotely coordinated as a wolf. Despite all the small struggles, becoming an unregistered animagus was probably the best decision I've ever made. It fixed a lot of things I'd been worried were broken. The first meeting with Lupin after my transformation, I cast the spell that repels boggarts. Lupin damn near cried with pride at that; he and I have gotten really close during the past couple of months. That night I got the best sleep of my life. It was becoming a wolf that got me over my fear of losing control. It's ironic because during my first few times as a wolf I had next to no control over my animal body- I had to learn to walk all over again. But apparently all of us are having the same general problems with our transition, so I'm not too worried.

The biggest problem about our transition is finding a place where we can practice changing and just being animals in general. Jo has the most leeway to practice because of her size, and the fact that ferrets, though uncommon, are a pet some people choose to bring as familiars. The rest of us stand out sorely, and in the case of Fred and me, we could easily be attacked for being predators. Things would be easier if we still had the Map, but the twins made the executive decision to give it away to Harry Potter.

It took me a few weeks before I recalled a valuable piece of information, and another few days before I gathered up enough courage to admit it to Jo. When I considered the time appropriate, I took her aside to an empty bench on the grounds, and related my news: During the past two years, Lee Jordan and I had taken some time to ourselves, without the twins or Jo. It was a decision we made based on a mutual embarrassment: I was embarrassed of my temper, which Lee witnessed blowing up when I nearly attacked another student in anger. Lee never told me what he's so scared to share with the world, but that's okay by me. He's free to be himself with me, and through our private times together I've come to understand that a lot of his loud personality and excessive flirting and general vulgarity are a front to hide whatever secret he's keeping.

I digress. I had seen a secret passage on the Map that I wanted to check out, and one afternoon when Lee and I were going out, I decided to try it out. It led us to what we soon figured out was the Shrieking Shack, a horror attraction connected with Hogsmeade. People don't actually go there- you can just here it from a distance, moaning and screaming. Lee and I spent many afternoons sitting there, doing work, chatting, and just being ourselves. After Lee exposed my relationship with Miles, I admittedly became unfairly cold to him, and our trips to the Shack stopped. Now, I realized, the location could be quite useful.

Jo listened to my story with very little grace; she yelled at me, hit me, and constantly interrupted. That was fair. I asked her opinion, and she responded that I was "the biggest bloody wanker on the planet". I rephrased my question to get her opinion on using the Shack as a hangout and place to practice our transformations, and her mood changed; she became enthusiastic and excited and made the decision that the two of us should go up that very night to scope the place out. We did as much, and now tonight the two of us are making our second trip out.

The Shack is a lot different than I remember it, probably because I never came at night before. Now I understand why people never come here, and prefer just to make up scary stories about the place. It's cold here, and dark, and dusty, and full of vermin. I can smell them everywhere- I'll never be able to say that out loud. It's disgusting being able to smell every little thing around you, but that's why Jo and I are here. She being the more playful mastermind decided that to help us train in our new abilities we should play tag. I tried vetoing this suggestion, but she quickly turned into her ferret form, jumped on my arm, jumped promptly off, and ran into the darkness.

So now I'm a wolf, trying to pad quietly as possible on the creaking floorboards of this trashy place. With every step I'm afraid the floor will fall out beneath me, and I'll die here. Yes, this place gives me that soul-deep pang that can only mean this will be the place I one day die.

I shake my shaggy head, banishing the thought, and begin to focus on trying to sniff out Jo. She smells distinctly of sweat and sugar, which strangely enough isn't a completely disgusting combination to my wolf nose. I quickly pick up her scent, and I resist the urge to howl; there are so many instincts to fight as an animal. I quickly make my way towards her, and I hear the pitter-patter of her little feet trying to get higher ground. I look around the room- because obviously wolves have night vision- and see a pile of decrepit boxes. That's where she is. I get close and pounce, and pin her in a heartbeat. In the spirit of victory I quickly turn away and run, as I am no longer 'it'.

As a wolf I can't really rely on finding a convenient little corner to hide in, so I decide to just move continuously and try to keep an open ear for little ferret feet on the move. I run down the steps to the first floor and creep along the walls as quietly as possible. A new smell surprises me- dirty, like all the others, but different somehow. I don't dwell on it and keep moving. I hear Jo almost directly above me, and content myself to sit. I'm almost tempted to howl, if just to hear the sound of my own voice. I'm about to open my mouth when I hear a sound- a scream. Jo's scream. Something's very wrong.

I bound up the stairs, not bothering to change. I expect to find Jo hurt, or maybe stuck in animal form- it's happened to all of us multiple times- but instead I see a giant black dog. Without meaning to, I growl, and the dog growls back. I look and see Jo, still a ferret, lying against a wall. That mongrel threw her. She must have jumped on it, thinking it was me, and it hurt her.

I square up with the dog and growl again, and without a moment's hesitation I pounce. We roll a couple of times, trying for dominance. Finally the thing pins me and I find my teeth bared- I might even be foaming- as I snap up at it. I'm struggling beneath it, and as I wriggle I notice that in her unconscious state, Jo turned back into herself. I involuntarily whimper and start fighting not to get on top of the dog, but to get away from it. It notices my change in attention and sees Jo. It jumps off of me and before I can question what's going on, I'm above Jo, licking her face and nudging at her chest. After a minute she moans and sits up; I keep looking at her, unable to speak and so concerned I can't make myself change back. She looks and me with a faint smile, reaching out to pet me; until something behind me makes her jerk back.

I turn around, expecting that dog, but instead I see a man. He's tall, shaggy, dirty, and looks sick. He takes a step towards Jo, and I bare my teeth again. I'm ready to take him on when I hear footsteps entering the Shack below us.

"Sirius? Sirius, are you here?" The man turns towards the sound, and I'm struck with the realization of who is standing before me: Sirius Black: mass murderer, escaped convict, and the reason Hogwarts is in lockdown mode. Jo tenses behind me- I can hear her heartbeat speed up and her breathing become shallow.

"Is that…Professor Lupin?" She whispers. She's answered by Lupin himself, who walks up the steps to find not only Black, but one of his students, and a wolf. Upon surveying the scene he looks like he's had a heart attack, and the four of us are silent.

"Remus, what the hell is this?" Sirius finally says. Jo jumps to her feet but Lupin tells her to stop, and she does. He walks very slowly over to us, and Jo sinks to the floor in fear. I feel my fur bristling, and I keep myself as a barrier between Lupin and Jo. He gets right in front of me and gets on his knees. I growl and nearly snap at him, but he takes my head in his hands and looks me in the eyes.

"Oh, Cassidy, what have you done?" he asks sadly. This sadness scares me more than anything else- it sounds like regret; like he's about to do something bad. I feel myself change back into human form, and Lupin has his hands cupped around my cheeks now. I'm as small and helpless as I feel. I'm really going to die here…

"Lupin?!" Black exclaims, "Who the hell are they?" and then Lupin stands back up and embraces the man, laughing.

"They're almost as stupid and reckless as we were. Look at her- an animagus."

"The other one is too- a ferret. Girl jumped me and I…well, I nearly killed her. I'm sorry, girl. Really," he directs at Jo, who still is silent.

"Professor Lupin, that's Sirius Black, the convict. He's a murderer," I say. Black's head falls, and Lupin comes back over to myself and Jo. He puts his hand on my shoulder, but I pull away. I don't- can't trust him anymore.

"Oh, Cassidy, why are you so difficult? I need you to listen and to understand- you as well, Jolene. This is important for you to hear, and more importantly you must never repeat what you hear. This man- yes, Sirius Black, is an innocent man, and my closest friend in the world…" and thus began the most fantastic story Jo and I ever heard.


	18. 5-8 Mult POV

Chapter 5-8 Mult. POV

Jo

Some people claim that goodbyes are the hardest and most painful things in the world. Those people are obviously doing something wrong. The year is over, and everyone is leaving in a couple of days. Exams are completed, bags are packed, and goodbyes are in the process of being said. I've said all but one, because I don't know how to say this final one.

Oliver and I decided to meet on the pitch. It's appropriate- it's not where we met, of course. It's not where we first began dating, or consummated our relationship. It's the place where we had our absolute best times. It's our place.

It's time to say goodbye to Oliver, but I don't know if this is goodbye for now, goodbye for the summer, or goodbye forever. I don't know about Oliver, but I never thought this far ahead- I never really took into account the fact that he's older than me, and won't be back at Hogwarts next year. This wouldn't be a problem if we weren't dating, but we are. We've been dating for a pretty long time, and it's a serious relationship. Today we find out whether it will last, or if it's over. I don't particularly want to make the decision; I'd much rather Oliver stay at Hogwarts forever and nothing change at all. The downside to this, of course, would be that I'd never get my turn as Quidditch team captain, a title I think I more than deserve at this point.

I look down at him as he enters the pitch- I'm up in the commentator's booth, and he's quickly by my side. He kisses me hello like usual, even though this meeting is anything but. I don't want to start the conversation, so he does.

"I'm not coming back next year," he says. It wasn't a particularly helpful or insightful thing to say, but it was very Oliver, and at least it opened the door for what we need to talk about.

"So what does that mean?" I ask. In all honesty, I'm not expecting anything. Long distance doesn't exactly appeal to me. I don't want to say it though, since it sounds kind of insensitive; like I wasn't as invested in this relationship as I was.

"It means I won't be here, and that you'll have to carry the team in my absence," I nod. It's decided then. He's said his peace, and made his point clear. Now, most people wouldn't agree that's he's made a clear point, or any point at all, but Oliver and I understand each other on a deep and unexplainable level. To formally break up with me would be an insult to both of us. He's said all he needed to, and now it's my turn.

"You're leaving me a bloody hard choice in finding a new Keeper," I say with a smile, nudging him. He laughs loud, and it echoes around the pitch. I rest my head on his shoulder, and he gives my braid a light pull. The hair tie falls out and he fumbles to try and rebraid the hair. He's about to give up and put my hair in a ponytail, when I take his hand and just put the tie around his wrist. I shake out my hair and he laughs again as a long stand gets caught in my mouth.

"You were always more graceful on the pitch than off," he jokes, and I give him a playful shove. He retaliates by leaning in for a kiss. "One more go, before I leave?" he says, eyeing my robes. His playful grin tells me he's still joking.

"You pig! You only love me for my body," I cry in mock-distress. He pulls me into an embrace.

"Is that what we are? A pig and a ferret?"

"We may very well be." He snorts like a pig and I burst out laughing.

"I love you, Oliver."

"I love you too." We leave the pitch, and go our separate ways. I am, putting it indelicately and insensitively, a free woman again.

* * *

Cas

I find goodbyes inconvenient and often insincere. The more sincere a farewell, the more permanent it will be. If you pour your heart out to someone as you part with them, you're not simply saying goodbye, but you're saying 'I've decided that our relationship shall go on no longer; I am cutting you out of my life'. The less sincere a goodbye, the less necessary it is. The whole affair is rather draining.

Today, unfortunately, is one of those days when goodbyes are necessary for the sake of appearances. No one wants to be the bitch who doesn't say goodbye. So I made my rounds, promised I'd write, or see people next year. There were tears, but none on my part; there were hugs I was forced into; and just as I thought I was finished, the one person I didn't want to have to talk to approached me and took me aside. Miles and I have been dating a long time, and therefore this goodbye is rather important; Miles is graduating, and therefore leaving, and in all probability we'll never see each other again. This of course means that there may very well be a long and sincere farewell to be made.

Miles takes me outside to the grounds where we can be alone, and he sits me on a bench and stands looking down at me. I stare up at him, trying my best to look rather indifferent to the whole affair. Too many things have happened to me in the past year- in the past month- for me to be able to handle another at this moment. I would have been content if Miles had left my life without a word, instead of taking the trouble to break up with me formally.

So he continues to stare down at me in his intimidating way, and I can tell by his glare that he expects me to make the first move, since he set up our meeting. Fine, he can have it his way.

"I don't love you, Miles," is all I have to say to him. I say it without breaking eye contact, and don't really know what to expect as a response. People have been telling me since we started dating that he is violent and might hurt me if I don't watch myself. They don't just mean me to beware emotional pain. So this was a risky thing for me to say, but I said it any

hway. In response, Miles laughed at me, quite amused.

"That's fucked up thing to say out of the blue, Cas," he says with a smile, and I'm confused.

"You brought me here to break up with me, right? Well, I don't love you, so no need to be gentle. Go on, then," I tell him, and he sits down next to me and pulls me into him. I can hear his heart beating through his robes- calm as anything.

"I didn't bring you here to break up with you, Cas. Actually, I wanted to make you a proposal." On hearing this I throw myself out of his arms and jump to my feet, shocked and appalled.

"I just told you I don't love you, Miles! I'm sixteen, for fuck's sake! I'm not going to marry you, or anyone else for the matter!" He starts laughing at me again, and I feel silly. He wasn't proposing marriage…it makes a lot more sense that way. He takes my hands and I sit back down next to him, looking into his eyes for an explanation.

"I love that mouth you have on you. You make vulgar seem cute. But Cas, let me be serious a minute. I'm not coming back to Hogwarts next year, and I don't want you to either. I've found a job of sorts…a special group of people who are going to make the world a better place. Powerful people. I've told you a storm is coming, and I want to be on the front lines when it hits. I want you to be by my side. You're powerful, smart, and I think you and I have similar…values. These people, they'll be happy to take you in and train you. I'll be happy to. What d'ya say, Cassidy? Be my girl a little longer, even if you don't love me? These people can give you more power and influence than you could ever imagine."

This was in no way what I was expecting to hear while Miles told me he had a proposal to make. Not go back to Hogwarts? Leave my friends and family for power, influence, and the chance to change the world? I let my head fall back into Miles's chest, and I listen to his heartbeat again. I smile to myself before sitting back up and looking at Miles.

"Well? What are you thinking?"

"I can't go with you, Miles. Not yet. Let me finish my studies first. These people will want me more in two years time. The storm's not coming before then, is it?" He shakes his head and stands up. He kisses me on my forehead.

"Until then," he whispers, and walks away.

I don't follow him. I don't cry or feel any regret. In fact, I smile to myself. I have a secret: I know where Miles is going; I've heard of this group before. Lupin told me about a group of people determined to change and protect the world. Powerful and influential people, like himself. People have been saying Miles is a bad person- he's dark and secretive and aggressive. I'll make them eat their words. Miles is going off to put his life at risk to save theirs from evil and from danger. Miles will fight their battles while they sleep, for no thanks or reward. And, in three years time, I'll be fighting by his side.

"Until then," he told me; a short goodbye. So I smile, knowing that Miles is not out of my life forever, or even for long.

* * *

 **AN: This marks the end of year five; look forward to the next update beginning year six. Thanks for following, keep reading and tell your friends!**


	19. 6-1 POV George

6.1 POV George

This will be the best year yet; possibly the best year of my life. I've waited a long time for things to go my way, and the waiting is finally paying off: Oliver is out of the picture, Miles is gone, and this year is the Tri-Wizard Tournament. This means that I can finally have my shot with Jo, I can breathe knowing Cassidy isn't at risk in an abusive relationship, and classes this year will, for the most part, be a joke. It's a trifecta unlike any other.

To start off the new year, we're at our old stomping grounds; Jo, Cassidy, Fred, and I. That old room we used to meet in, had parties in. It's only the third night back at Hogwarts- every house has stuff going on that night. Then last night we were just too tired. Tonight is a different story. Fred and I were the first to get here, and then Cassidy. Holy shit, that girl made an entrance without even trying. She walks in like a whole new person- graceful, powerful, confident. Same punkish hair cut- short and feathery, raven-black with green and silver streaks. She has this spark in her eyes, and when she sees us she smiles, showing off her teeth…and her fangs. She's an animagus- a wolf, and damn she's made the most of the transition. She breezes in like, well, a breeze, goes straight to Fred and kisses him on the cheek, and comes to me to do the same. I pull her into this tight embrace and we breathe each other in and I sigh her back out as she pulls away. She lounges herself out on the couch, her legs on Fred's lap. I stare for a second- she's a new person. Fred's staring too, and then there's a change in the air.

Jo walks in. As much as Cassidy's changed, Jo's stayed the same. Same long ponytail, same hint of swagger in her walk, same everything. I jump to my feet and I meet her just a few steps into the room, and I hug her- I more than hug her, I pick her up and spin her around. I listen to her squeal and I feel her squeeze me. Then I put her down, but she doesn't let go. We stand there hugging a millisecond longer than normal people do, and then she's off and hugging Fred. She goes to push Cassidy's legs aside, and then the unthinkable happens- Cassidy pushes her away; no, kicks her away. Jo takes another stab at it, and Cassidy snarls. It's not like it used to be, when Cassidy would scrunch her face up and then let us have our way- no, she snarls like the wolf she is and does not back down. She gets to keep lounging on the chair and on my brother's lap.

We shoot the shit for awhile, nothing serious. Talk about the summer and friends and classes and the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Fred and I fill the girls in on the Quidditch World Cup- see, we got to see the championship. We were up close and personal with the action, we got drunk and played games and sang songs and it was all brilliant until it wasn't. Boy things went wrong- there was an attack. Bad people came, set everything on fire and it was awful. They put the bloody mark of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in the sky. People say he's coming back. People say there'll be war. It's scary to think about, but we don't let that dampen the night.

We change the subject- sort of. We stop talking about the terrorism and go back to talking about Quidditch, pure and simple. We talk about how there won't really be much playing this year because of the Tournament. Me, Jo, and Fred are all pissed about it…Cassidy doesn't give two shits. It's not news per se, but Cassidy got savvy last year while she was dating the Slytherin keeper. I thank the great griffin he's gone now. Hell knows someone would have died if he had stayed. And in the moment I think it might be funny to comment as much. I get a nervous laugh out of Fred and Jo, but Cassidy doesn't find it quite so funny.

"You asshole!" she snarls, jumping up from the couch and stalking over to me. She pins me into the sofa chair and stares down at me. "You wanna know a secret?" she whispers. I shake my head. She smirks and stands up straight, looking at each of us in turn.

"You morons all think Miles was such a bad guy? That's the way things are, right? You all know we're not dating anymore…well, I never told you the whole story. Would you like to hear what really happened that day? Don't answer that- you're going to listen whether you want to or not. See- that day Miles came to me, he wanted to talk. I thought I knew what was coming- I thought he was going to break up with me. No. Nonono. Miles proposed to me," she says with the haughtiest of smiles. She pauses, letting it sink in. Jo blanches. Fred looks like a ghost. I feel like I can't breathe.

"Oh, don't worry. It wasn't a marriage proposal. He wanted to me to leave Hogwarts. He asked me to be his a little longer- to follow him into the world, where he could get me a job, and friends, and power. He promised to make me someone in this little world of ours. I told him that if he could wait; his group could hold out, then I could wait too. I decided to finish school. Now- the real kicker- guess where Miles is going. He's going to work with people, people who are going to make the world a better place- people who are preparing for an oncoming storm. People who are going to be on the front lines when that storm comes- sound familiar? Jo? George? Fred? Haven't we heard this story before?"

"You're talking about Lupin's people…" Fred finally says. Cassidy nods slowly. She has this look in her eyes, this unnerving look. She's baring her teeth again, looking more bestial than ever. And then Fred starts.

"You-you're not actually going to..?" he asks. Cassidy loses her edge as she turns to look at him.

"Actually…?" she semi-taunts, "I don't know. I got two years to figure it out. If you got a better offer for me by that time, I'll be all ears." Silence hangs over the rest of us as Cassidy positions herself back on the couch, but this time she's curled up, not sitting on Fred. She's lost a bit of her boldness.

"I'm putting my name in," she says suddenly. All eyes back on her.

"What?!" Jo demands.

"I'm putting my name in the Goblet. I'm old enough. I'm strong enough. I'm putting my name in," she repeats. Now it's Jo's turn to stand up. She stands over Cassidy, but Cassidy won't meet her eyes. And then a thought strikes me. A wonderful little thought.

"Me too!" I shout, "We all should!" All eyes on me. Fred looks confused, Jolene astounded, and Cassidy looks angry.

"You're not old enough," she says.

"There are ways around that," Fred says suddenly, smiling.

"You're both fucking crazy," Jolene says. Cassidy just rolls her eyes and huffs. Fred and I make eye contact- we're thinking the same thing. Yes, it's true- our plan would be easier if Cassidy were on board. We may not be old enough to legally put our names in the Goblet, but my brother and I- we can handle making some potions. We can cheat the system better than anyone- we've been doing it for our entire lives.

"Can you imagine it- me, holding that big bloody cup at the end of it all? I can see it," Fred says with a smile.

"Naw- it'll be me. I'm much more handsome, it'll look so much better with me holding it," I retort with a laugh.

"You think it's about a cup? A bloody cup? You morons! It's about power. It's about being the strongest and fastest and most skilled. You think it's about winning? It's about proving yourself. You'll die- you walk into that shit show thinking it's a game and it will kill you!" Cassidy shouts. She storms out of the room and no one follows her.

"She's right. It's no joke…but hell, if anyone could do it it'd be one of you two," Jo says with a grin. We all laugh- the gang back together, even if we're not all on board. We spend the rest of the night talking and scheming. Cassidy doesn't come back, but none of us mention her.

In the back of my mind I think I should say something- she's different and that's great, but there's no version of Cassidy that would willing put her name in that Goblet. Something's wrong, and part of me thinks it has to do with Miles; with that proposal he made. Shit fucking damn it! I thought we were rid of him- I thought I wouldn't have to worry about Cassidy anymore- that I could just focus on getting closer with Jo while Cassidy and Fred fell together naturally as anything. Like we planned. I thought this would be our year- Cassidy isn't supposed to be the risk-taker. She's not supposed to be flirtatiously graceful. All of it comes crashing down on me and I get up and leave without a word.

We're changing. All of us. Right now maybe we can only see it in Cassidy, but it's underneath all of our skins. It's natural, I know. People change; they grow up and mature and that's the way life goes, but this isn't the way I thought it would be. I thought it would be easier. Dammit, Cassidy, god fucking damn it.


	20. 6-2 POV Cas

6-2 POV Cas

They don't realize just how moronic they are – none of them, and it bothers me more than it should. The look on their faces, though! You'd think they were just getting up to sing karaoke at some pub; that they were just partying and taking drinks on any night of the week. Those two are throwing their lives away- well, not really. I know it won't work. It can't. I see them on the sidelines, hovering around that blue circle as I step in. I'm allowed to-it's my right to do this. The scrap of paper is folded in my hand, my name scrawled on it as neatly as I could manage. I drop it in and the crowd erupts in applause. I can be there their champion- I _will_ be their champion.

And then the twins get up. Right in front of everyone they lock arms and throw back some potion they probably prepared wrong. They're too young- it's just by a couple of months, sure, but technicalities don't matter here. I see little Granger chastising them from the sidelines and I'm inclined to morph and rip her throat out right here. I'm distracted when the blue age line, drawn by Dumbledore himself, turns red and throws the boys back out. They fly back and slide a couple of meters. Everyone gasps and we all stare, but the two sit up. They're fine…actually, strike that. They've fucked up. They've really fucked up.

I rush over and so does Jo, and we're cradling two little old men in our arms, little old men who are supposed to be our boys, our twins. This will take some serious magical work to fix. I'm holding Fred and he makes as if to stand, but I force him down- his frail bones can't compete with me now. They both grew so much over the summer- when I first saw them I refused to believe it, but they're both young men now, no longer boys. Bloody fools still, obviously.

And so it's my lot to take them to the infirmary while the students from our guest schools take their turns to enter the competition. One of them's a famous Quidditch player- Miles used to talk about him sometimes. The twins and their little brother are almost obsessed. A local celebrity, people say. He looks tough enough- I get a glimpse as he throws his name in the Goblet. Doesn't matter. No matter who else gets thrown into the pit, I'll be the victor. I have to be.

Madam Pomfrey is no longer phased when the twins or Jo show up. I'm not quite as well acquainted with her, but that's irrelevant. She says it'll take the night to fix the boys. Figures. Jo scampers off and I stay with the boys. She comes back with a bunch of our friends and we all figure hanging in the infirmary is as good as anywhere else. We start talking about the Tournament and classes and our newest Professor- Lupin's gone and his replacement looks like a psycho- Mad-Eye Moody, they call him. It's an appropriate description. I'm curious to see how he'll run his classes, and for awhile I'm having fun imagining what kind of stuff we'll be learning, when the conversation shifts back to Lupin. Rumors are going around as to why he left- he was everyone's favorite. At first people figured he got a better offer, but there's this one thing that's getting whispered around. Jo stiffens when someone brings it up: werewolf. The twins' little brother told us he saw it himself; Jo refused to believe it. She's terrified of werewolves and loved Lupin more than any other professor ever; therefore, it couldn't be true. I wasn't so sure…the way he disappeared once a month, the mysterious potions Snape had me making…it wasn't the strangest conclusion to draw.

People start talking shit about Lupin and werewolves and the other schools- our gathering turns into a pretty intense hate session, and I'm fed up. Luckily Pomfrey comes and tells everyone visiting hours are over. Most people bail immediately, leaving me and twins, which is when I realize Jo is missing. I'm about to voice my concern when I see it- see her- it? I see a ferret, hiding under the covers of George's bed. I feel my eyes bulge, and I nearly lunge to get her, but George sees me and makes a face. I can't believe them. I shake my head and leave without a word. There are no words.

With that I'm over my limit and need some release. I no longer have the Map thanks to the bleeding hearts of the twins, but it doesn't much matter- I memorized early on anyway. I make my way to a particular passage that leads to the Shrieking Shack. This is my place now- I'm one of the voices people claim to hear. I change as soon as I get into the passage and then I'm running and running and running. I get there and bound up to the roof without hesitation. Once I jump through a hole in the roof I sit myself down and scream- well, howl. I howl and howl and scream all my anger and frustration away. I scream away my regret at not taking Miles's offer; my regret of actually putting my name in that damn cup; my regret of turning myself into this…monster. I spend the night voicing my grievances at the moon and only get back to the castle with moments to spare before I have class.

* * *

Diggory? Diggory. Cedric fucking Diggory. This isn't how it was supposed to work- I was supposed to be the champion. Me. I feel myself flush and tears are stinging in my eyes- fuck it! This was going to change things- this was supposed to be my chance to show people how powerful I am, not just Miles. Everyone was supposed to see. I turn to go; I need another night at the Shack. No one goes to stop me- they're all entranced by the proceedings. Good. I don't want to be stopped.

Yet stopped I am. There's a collective gasp as the Goblet erupts a fourth time. Fourth? That's not supposed to happen- there are three champions only, that's the rule. Dumbledore's voice rings out strangely calm in this bizarre situation: "Harry Potter".

Well that's just fucking perfect. Diggory and Potter- two Quidditch boys, figures. I don't turn back, just keep moving forward. _Get to the Shack_ , I tell myself. My skin is itching- it feels too tight. I need to change. I need to be bigger than this- I need to be more powerful. I need to be something people fear. Something they respect. I need to chase something. I run and run and run and instead of going to the secret passage I just run out the first exit I see. I'm cutting across the grounds as fast as my legs can carry me, and when that's not enough and I think I'm far enough I change. I go straight into the Dark Forest and run until I'm tired. I stop to breathe, hearing myself panting and feeling my tongue lagging out of my mouth. Then I hear it- twigs breaking, and without a second thought I start moving towards it, slowly. I sniff the air and smell…something. I hear a heartbeat. I want it. I want whatever it is. I stalk it and I realize it's a rabbit, and I feel in my bones that I need to kill it. It's what wolves do.

That's when I hear a whoosh, and the heartbeat disappears. No! I run towards the smell of blood as it grows stronger, and see the tiny thing dead and bleeding, with an arrow stuck in its eye. I realize I'm not alone and I try to find out who else is here. I make out heartbeats, I hear breathing; I just don't recognize the smell. That's when they come into view. Centaurs.

One looks at me, and I consider running. Then I consider attacking. I'm so confused and torn internally, so I do nothing but hold eye contact.

"Girl," the one says, "what have you done? I recognize you, though you've grown. Show us your face, witch." Something in his voice; the authority of it, makes me obey. I stand before them as a human.

"I know you, witch. You're friends are the rowdy ones. I haven't forgotten." Shit. It was a lifetime ago, but he's right- Jo and the twins, they basically attacked a group of centaurs in the woods, damn…was it first year? How could he recognize me?

"You're lost," he tells me. I shake my head defiantly, finding my voice.

"I know where I am. I'm not a child, I'm not lost."

"Oh, witch, you misinterpret. I can see you: you are lost. You don't even know you're true form anymore. The change is hurting your soul." I stare at him. How? What the hell does he mean? I'm not lost, and I certainly know my true form.

He comes closer, looking down at me sternly. In his eyes I see wisdom and power and the coldness of nature, and I envy him. Look at the control he has over me- telling me to change. Why the hell did I do it? I start willing the change again, and feel my fangs coming in when he raises his hand.

"No, witch. You disrespect me and yourself with such behavior. Have some control. Talk to me like the person you are." I stop, and the fangs retract. I feel that same stinging behind my eyes, but I don't understand why this time. I bite my lip, not knowing what to say to him. I look at my feet in a sort of shame. The centaurs are talking amongst themselves, and the leaser raises his hand again, silencing them. They were talking about me.

"Hunt with us. Let us show you the truth of nature. It will help you gain clarity. Go on, changeling, take your second body." Again, I acquiesce without a thought. He nods, and the centaurs turn. I take a place in the back of the pack. We track and run and we hunt. I kill that night. I take life between my maw and I snuff it out. I taste blood and I smell fear. I am in total control, under the guidance of the centaurs. I don't remember returning to the castle, or even turning back into my human form, yet I wake up the next morning in my bed, with a tiny smear of blood on the corner of my lip as the only proof the previous night had been real.


	21. 6-3 POV Jo

6-3 POV Jo

"I can't believe we never thought of this before!" I shout amidst the noise of the crowd. Cas just rolls her eyes, but I know she's enjoying herself too. This was all her idea- her doing; no way she's not swallowed up by pride right now. I would be. I look in the box I'm holding in my hand- it's full of galleons and receipts. Split four ways none of us will be rich, but I'll be damned if I don't appreciate a little pocket change.

George flies out over the crowd and blows a whistle, signaling the end of the match. The players dismount, and everyone lines up to either pay up or collect. See, we don't know how or when or why, but Cas found this part of the Dark Forest, a massive clearing big enough to host some pick-up Quidditch matches. We were all astounded when she suggested it, until she included the part about turning it into a gambling ring and making profit off it. We were all in agreement that it was possibly the best idea we've ever had. The House Cup isn't happening this year because of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, so all the Quidditch players have been a little bummed. When word got around about our tourneys, however, everyone got a little spring in their step back.

Originally I wanted it to be the four Houses playing each other like a regular season, but the twins pointed out that two Houses are technically without their seekers, we don't want to invite the Slytherin seeker, and after that too many issues came to light. So we decided to let people form and register their own teams of five: a keeper, two beaters, and two chasers. We got a bludger and a quaffle and here we are, raking in the money.

"It's getting dark; I'd say that's it for the night," says Cas, and the twins groan at her.

"Come on, Cas, how about a little Quidditch after dark, eh? It's more fun when you can't see the bludger coming," Fred says. If I were in charge that argument would have won me over, but Cas is not me. We collect the last few dues and pack up our equipment, and everyone starts walking back to the castle together. I notice after a second Cas is falling behind, so I drop back.

"Hey, you alright? Don't tell me you're knackered- you did nothing but stand around collecting money," I tease, hoping to get her to smile. I haven't seen a genuine Cassidy smile in too long; now when she smiles it's either sarcastic or she's bearing her teeth, which is unsettling. Cas just hasn't been herself since…well, since Miles.

"Run ahead. I got something I wanna do." is all she replies, as if that wouldn't prompt me to ask more questions.

"What on earth could you want to do out here, so late? You're the one called it quits for the night."

"I called the matches off because I have a previous engagement; one I don't want to miss. It's a private thing, Jo, so let me be. Go catch up with the twins and tell Fred I'll see him at breakfast." Instead of saying a proper goodbye, she transforms into a wolf and runs off into the forest. I'm tempted to chase her, but as a ferret I would end up being eaten in a place like this. We all know something's off with Cas, but none of us know what it is, or how to fix it, or even how to bring it up in conversation. So we just don't.

I run ahead to the twins and find myself in a lively conversation about the Tri-Wizard Tournament. We've already seen one of the three trials play out- no one died despite the involvement of dragons. Cedric did brilliantly, and Harry didn't do too bad himself. I feel bad for the kid; no one supports him this year. I mean; there's no dark lord or evil serpent or mass murderer for him to save us from, and somehow his being in this tournament isn't endearing to any of us. Cedric- now he's someone people can get behind. He's a great student, awesome at parties, seeker for Hufflepuff- the kid's the whole package.

Now, some people have taken this in-school rivalry a little far, including George and Fred. They charmed these awful buttons to basically hate on Harry and support Cedric, and the whole school is buying them. I thought Cas would throw a fit- she usually hates this kind of bullying, but she just rolls her eyes when she sees the buttons, and tells me the twins can do what they please. I was a little pissed at her for that.

"Potter's a right git for staying in the tournament," someone says as we enter the castle, and a bunch of cheers ring up. I roll my eyes and fall back from the group, and when no one is looking I turn into a ferret. I scamper through everyone's legs until I find George, and he scoops me and puts me on his shoulder. It's become a bit of a thing now; people think I'm his pet when I do this. See, we found that it's rather useful to be able to roam the castle freely as a ferret. I can get places we normally wouldn't be able to sneak into easily, like Filtch's office. It's really fun finding out which rules can be broken once you're an animagus.

"Eh, where'd she come from? She come all the way from the dorms?" someone asks, reaching out to pet me. Being petted is a weird sensation because it actually feels amazing, but it's also really fucking weird to have your friend stroking your back.

"What's her name again?" someone else asks. George starts a bit; we never did think of a name for me as his pet. I don't really trust him to pick a name, and I'm also worried that in the moment he'll just call me 'Jolene' out of sheer panic, so I jump from his arm to Fred's and, I shudder to admit, run down Fred's shirt. He starts jumping everywhere and trying to shake me out, which is exactly what I thought should happen. I didn't think it through, though, because now I'm being jostled about in his shirt. It's painful and uncomfortable and out of sheer instinct I bite him to get him to stop. Instead he swats, none too lightly, and makes me stop moving. Then he pulls me out of his shirt and returns me to George. Everyone's cracking up.

"I always hated your little bitch of a ferret, man, but I never knew she was so into me. And what a name- 'Cheeks'; is it short for 'cheeky' or just because the thing looks like it's perpetually blushing?" George nearly dies laughing, as do most of the people in the crowd who witnessed this little scene. My instinct is to yell, and I open my mouth, but all that comes out it this weird chattering sound. A couple of people 'awww' and the twins keep laughing, realizing it probably wasn't my intention to be so cute. Fred and all the non-Gryffindors break off from the group while we make our way to the Fat Lady. The common room is buzzing, as it always is. Mostly talk about the Tournament and the other schools' kids, and now there are even a couple of whispers about this thing called the 'Yule Ball'. It happens around Christmas and it's a Tournament tradition, but that's about all people seem to know about it. 'Ball' obviously implies a dance of some sort, particularly a formal one. We're hoping it's a little more fun than the stuffy waltzing comes to mind.

Now that we're in the common room and it's clearly full of people, I'm basically stuck as a ferret for the night, which is harder than and not as fun as you'd think. At first it was cool, getting attention from everyone all night and scampering and hopping about, but now the novelty's worn off. Also, I don't have a great amount of control of my physical form when I fall asleep, and once or twice when I doze off on George's lap in the middle of the night I end up turning back into myself. Luckily no one's been around to see that happen, but it's enough to get me concerned. I tell myself sometimes that I'll train myself to hold form through the night, like an exercise or something, but at the end of the day I'm far too lazy for such things. I'm luckier than the others though- at least my form is something I can go about the castle as. I'm not sure people would look the other way if a fox, a wolf, and a hound were seen trotting about the corridors at night.

The common room clears out after awhile, and I turn back into myself. I have to do some major stretching afterwards- it still hurts a bit, the changing. George laughs as I go through what is normally our Quidditch warm-ups.

"Should we say something" he asks suddenly, "to Cas?" I straighten myself up to look at him. I see he's concerned- we all are.

"What can we say? She's probably still moody about the whole Potter thing," I say half-heartedly.

"You know it's not just that. It's everything. No- it's just one thing- it's Mathers. He's gone but she acts like he's gonna pop up one day and never leave again."

"Well, that is sort of what he promised to do," I say.

"And you're okay with that?!"

"I never said I was okay with it- I just don't know what to do about it! Look at her- she's almost a better person for all this!"

"For what, the disappearing all the time? Never lasting through a whole conversation before storming off? Or the fact that people are saying she sometimes goes days without sleeping in the Slytherin dorms- people don't know where she goes!" George yells. I stop. I never heard anything about that. I get up at look out the window, hoping that by some miracle I'll see the shadow of a wolf just running around enjoying the night-time. I sigh; there's nothing out there.


	22. 6-4 POV Fred

Year 6-4 POV Fred

I stare at George. He's gripping Jo's arm under her desk, preventing her from jumping up. Her face isn't red this time, but I'm damn sure she's seeing red. I know _I_ am. I'm angry- I'm fucking furious. This is wrong, so fucking wrong, and she's playing right into it- Cas, that is. She's up there, just standing, ready and willing. As if this is something for her to be proud of. I'm not proud of her, I'm disgusted. I look to the empty seat a few rows in front of us, the one Cas was sitting in. The parchment is still crumpled up in a ball in the corner.

I had thrown it at her as soon as she sat down- she had come in late, which is weird for her. She was so late we couldn't save her a seat next to us; the back rows fill up fastest in Mad-Eye Moody's classes. People are afraid of him; me included. Cas doesn't mind him and didn't protest any when she realized she'd be sitting in the front row today. I wasn't paying any attention to Moody as he prattled on, because I realized none of us had dates for the Yule Ball coming up. Sure, it's kind of implied we're all going together, but it's different since the girls somewhat recently ended things with their boyfriends. At least, it's weird for me- Miles is haunting us, haunting Cas, even now. Part of me is scared to cross a line and risk his wrath.

Then again, part of me was feeling fun and maybe a little flirtatious and teasing and bold, so I got Jo and George's attention, wadded up some parchment, and threw it Cas's way. It bounced off her head and landed on the ground- she discreetly gave us the middle finger behind her chair and didn't turn around until Moody's back was to her. She picked up the parchment and uncrumpled it, apparently expecting a note, and balled it up again and turned around when she realized there was nothing there. She looked tired and bitter; I beamed at her and started miming "You-Me-Dance-?" She rolled her eyes, but a smile was forcing its way through onto her lips. She nodded and turned promptly back to Moody, leaving the ball of parchment on her desk.

Not a few minutes later Moody went on this wild tangent about the Unforgivable Curses. We thought he was being crazy old Moody, until he pulled out this bug, made it huge, and started demonstrating the curses on it. People go to jail for that shit, and he was showing off in front of a classroom of students. We were appalled. Then he asked for a volunteer. No one offered themselves, all of us having a shared dread about what he would request. So he picked the student closest to him- some Gryffindor girl, shy thing. He told her to stand up, but she refused; she was clearly terrified. That's when he grabbed her arm- tried to force her to the front of the room. No one knew what to do.

Then Cas stood up. She cleared her throat and got Moody's attention. He threw the Gryffindor girl's arm down and walked over to Cas, staring down at her with a sneer. Without a word he jerked his head, motioning her to approach the giant insect. She did so. Then there was silence; then the request. "Torture it, Walker. The Cruciartus Curse." I closed my eyes.

Now I can't get the sound out of my head- the screaming whines of Cas torturing the thing. My eyes are open again- I'm watching her. She's got her eyes fixed on the thing, her wand unwavering. The insect is writing and bending in unnatural ways. Moody is hanging over her shoulder; he may or may not be whispering, egging her on. Jo is freaking out, trying to jump and probably tackle Cas. George is holding her back, his eyes averted from the front of the room and instead focused on Jo's arm, which he is holding. He doesn't want to look. I wish I was like him- I wish I could look away.

It seems like an eternity before Moody lets Cas lower her wand. The cries stop, and the insect relaxes. I'm surprised it's even alive.

"Would you like to kill it, Miss Walker? Would you like to demonstrate the Killing Curse?" Moody asks. I cringe, and Jo gasps. The rest of the room is silent, all eyes on Cas. She's still looking at the thing. Then she turns her head to meet Moody's eyes.

"I think I'd prefer not to, Professor." I sigh with relief, but it doesn't last. The room flashed green as Moody himself kills the creature. No one moves. Cas looks at the thing again, her expression unchanged. It doesn't look any different from where I'm sitting- it looks like before, just tired. Just hurt. Still alive. I know better though. Cas goes back to her seat quietly, and Moody resumes the lecture. I don't pay him any attention for the rest of class; I just keep staring at Cas with occasional glances at George. He looks like he's going to be sick; there's a pale greenness to his skin, and he can't take his eyes off his desk. It makes me angry to see him like that- it makes me want to go up and slap some sense into Cassidy. This sentiment builds up and up and up and when Moody dismisses us I spring to my feet and lunge to the front of the room. But, I'm too late.

"Walker, here, now," Moody beckons. I don't move. I don't trust him alone with her. She goes up to him, and he ignores my presence entirely as he talks to Cas.

"You did good today. You could've done better, but you did good. Did it _feel_ good, Walker? Did it make you feel powerful?" he asks. I'm sickeningly curious to hear her answer. She's not like Moody though, she's aware I'm here, and she's accounting for that.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but why do you need me?" she asks, depriving me and our professor of the answer we're both so eager to hear. He huffs but nods.

"I was told about you. We got ourselves a mutual friend on the outside." Moody tells Cas cryptically.

"You must be mistaken, I don't have any friends outside of Hogwarts, Professor," Cas replies dryly.

"I think he'd be disappointed to hear you said that," Moody says with a smirk, and I can see he has Cas's attention now. "Miles Mathers was your boyfriend, wasn't he?" Cas starts at the sound of his name, as do I. Miles? How does- why would he-?

"How do you know Miles?" Cas demands; I can tell she's trying hard to mask her emotions. Moody can tell too.

"We had a bit of a…run-in…this past summer. He's moved on to big things since Hogwarts, hasn't he? I was curious to meet the girl he was so fixated on in school- there are whispers, Miss Walker, about you. Lots of people have heard your name, from him. Lots of people are curious to see where you go when you leave here."

Cas has no answer to this. Moody's good eye has a spark of amusement in it; the other one is whizzing around and for a second looks directly at me. Moody and Cas both turn, and Cas gives me a nod to leave. I make sure she's right behind me as I go. Only then do I notice a little burst of movement by the door. I look at Cas and we both know exactly what's going on.

Ferret Jo pounces on us as soon as we're out the door; pounces on Cas to be more specific. She bites Cas on the shoulder, prompting Cas to take her by the scruff of the neck and dangle her out at arm's length. Jo is wriggling and squirming and squeaking and Cas can't handle that kind of annoyance for long, so she puts our friend down. Jo turns into herself again, and Cas kicks her for being so reckless with her changing in the castle in broad daylight.

"Who the bloody hell are you to talk?" Jo spits, "What the hell was that back there?" Cas glares at all of us.

"Maisy wasn't about to cast that spell willingly- the girl was crying at the thought. So I stepped to the plate. Saved the day, you might say. I was actually expecting some thanks." She sneers. Jo flushes red, but before she can say anything I speak up.

"That's not solving anyone's problems, Cas. What you did- that was a crime, it was illegal; it was downright awful for fuck's sake- don't you see that? You scared us- those kids, you scarred poor Maisy for life, that's for sure." She opens her mouth to rebut but George doesn't let her. He's still green in the face; he isn't looking at Cas or at any of us.

"You scared me," he whispers. Cas whips her neck to gape at him- her mouth is moving as if she's trying to argue, but the words aren't coming out. I don't think there are any words for a situation like this. I know I don't have any. Cas bites her bottom lip furiously and turns around, storming away. I have a feeling we won't be seeing much of her tonight; I don't think anyone will be. Disappearing has become a habit of Cassidy's.


	23. 6-5 POV Cas

Year 6-5 POV Cas

It's an odd scene, I imagine. Being a part of it, I can't see the whole picture, but considering what I can see and what I know, we must look fucking insane. We're deep in the Dark Forest, in the same clearing we've been using to host occasional Quidditch tournaments. We've been making quite a bit of money off of them, actually. So I had the bright idea- another bright idea, I'm the only one who seems to do any thinking in this group anymore- to host a different kind of event. Everything's been a little tense between the houses for years now,but things kicked up this year since we have two students from two different houses in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. People are at each other's throats, and I thought that instead of students fighting, why not have our houses do it for us.

So our scene: Jo is the only human in the clearing right now. She's resentfully holding a honey badger. Where Fred found a honey badger none of us know, and he refuses to divulge his sources. I'm facing Jo, in wolf form. I've got a raven in front me- I'm pinning its tail to the ground using my paw. A little ways behind Jo is Fred the fox sitting triumphantly on top of a cage containing a snake. George, in dog form, is holding a cat by the scruff of its neck. Chaos is reigning.

I'm whining at Jo to take the fucking raven from me, but she's too caught up trying to avoid the claws of the badger to do anything. She turns abruptly away from me, yells at Fred for being idle, and stomps around looking for the place where we dropped all the cages for the animals. Fred leaps off the snake's cage and turns back into himself. He takes two quick steps to the left and picks up a cage, waving it at Jo. She goes rushing over and none-too-gently drops the badger in it. I can see from where I am that her arms have some scratches and there's a rip in her robe. The honey badger disposed of, I start my whining again. It's much like a dog's whine in sound, which I think is funny. Jo disagrees, evidenced by her whipping around and stomping over to me.

"What?" she demands. I look down at the raven as answer. She shakes her head at me. "What the hell am I supposed to do with that?" I look to the cages, slightly annoyed she's making me explain myself- we all know the plan: get the animals, trap the animals, use magic to grow them like five times their natural size, and then pit them against each other and sell tickets to the show.

"Stop fooling around, Cas." I snarl at her in response. She turns to leave and I start howling incessantly. Fred rushes over and takes from me the raven. I turn into myself. Jo is taking the cat from George, so I stalk over to her.

"What the hell? You'll help him but not me? I get you're going to the Ball with him, but don't play favorites like that," I say. She turns around, eyebrows raised.

"You're serious, aren't you?" I nod, exasperated. Of course I'm serious- why wouldn't I be?

"That's a raven, Cas."

"And?"

"The Ravenclaw mascot is an eagle." I shake my head in disbelief, and Jo starts laughing hysterically. Fred and George come over to see what all the fuss is about, and when Jo explains it they start laughing too.

"Why the bloody hell is it an eagle? They're called _Raven_ claw for fuck's sake! I swear the bird on the crest looks like a raven." This just makes everyone laugh even harder. I sigh, giving up.

"It doesn't matter much anyhow- it's too late to go out and find a bloody eagle. They'll settle for a fucking raven like you're settling for that mongrel George wrangled up," I say, indicating the cat. It's an ugly thing, really.

"Don't go telling Ron or Harry about this- it's Hermione's cat, see. I just figured we could borrow it for a night. It was this one or Mrs. Norris, and I figured if I got Filtch's, Cas would jump in the ring herself to kill it," George explains. We all get a good laugh out of that. It's actually a fair observation, I have to admit.

Day turns to night, and we return to the forest. Pre-sales were phenomenal, and we have reports from people saying we can expect plenty of students to just show up and buy tickets when they get here. Everyone wants a piece of the action; the whole school wants something personal to partake in without the other school's kids interfering. Fred and George are in charge of collecting the money and selling the tickets. We trust them well enough to get what's fair and swindle the bastards we aren't partial to. In the end, this is about the money for some of us.

My job is to prepare the animals. I get them all set up in bigger cages, and start using the _Engorgio_ spell to make them huge. Jo is supposed to be helping, but she ends up wandering over to George. I roll my eyes at the thought- she's been doing it a lot lately; all the time she used to dedicate to Oliver is now going solely to George. Yes, she has a lot of apologizing to do to him for a whole lot of grief she gave him the past few years, especially with Oliver, but this is getting ridiculous. I can't take the stupid little excuses, the whispering and inside jokes. They've always been close, but now it's getting obnoxious. Then again, it's none of my business. Fred and I have inside jokes and personal stories the other two wouldn't get. We're just a little classier about making friend time about all our friends.

Given the freedom of not having someone over my shoulder, I make the snake extra-big, just for good measure. This may be about money for me, but bragging rights are fun too. The money is important though: I'm saving up for when I leave. After I graduate I'm not going back home or into any official business or job or anything. I'm going back to Miles; Miles and the group he's with, that is. Professor Moody said he saw Miles this summer; that Miles is telling people to expect me when I graduate. Bastard shouldn't be talking about me like that, but part of me finds it reassuring. I really want to get in touch with him, but when we parted ways there was no forwarding address; no indication that he'd be able to receive owls with the work he's doing. There was something strange about the way Moody referred to him, like they had a fight or something. I wonder if Moody is in the same group with Lupin and Miles? I hope not…there's something off about Moody- the way he did those Unforgivable Curses; made _me_ do one of them…he had asked if it felt good when I tortured that incest…I look at my wand and at the animals before me. I could do it again, so easily. I could feel all that power, that control that comes with the spells. I don't do it, but I can't stop thinking about it either.

People fill the makeshift stands the twins set up, and it's time to begin. Fred comes over, probably trying to escape George and Jo and their little party of two. We decided to start off with the raven and the honey badger- Quidditch usually starts with Gryffindor and Slytherin, so we decided to give the other houses the spotlight first this time. We throw the two in the ring, and it begins.

But it's somewhat uneventful. It seems giant ravens and giant honey badgers are not natural enemies, and have no reason to fight each other for our entertainment. People are getting restless, so I run over to George, who now had ferret-Jo perched on his shoulder.

"This isn't working," I mutter, and he nods. I can see he's thinking hard. Before he can say anything, I have an idea. It's a dumb idea, but the genius kind of dumb idea that will most likely maybe work. I grab ferret-Jo and I throw her into the ring before anyone can stop me. Somehow I had really great aim, and was gentle enough that she landed unharmed near the honey badger. People were looking around asking questions until the raven got its eyes on Jo- it began going after her. Then the honey badger noticed and it too went after her. Finally they were going at each other, fighting for the chance to catch and eat Jo. It worked brilliantly. I use my magic to pick her up and bring her back, perching her once again on George's shoulder. George is cracking up, and Fred is rolling on the ground. The crowd is eating it up. The animals go at each other, and as soon as it looks like there's actual damage being done- the raven drew blood by scratching the honey badger's neck- we pull them out and declare Ravenclaw victorious in round one.

Round two involves the snake and the cat. It goes exactly as one would expect- the snake (twice as large as I should have made it) sized up the giant cat and decided it looked good enough to eat. The cat fought valiantly, but in the end we had to save it from the jaws of death, quite literally. Jo had snuck away so she could become human again and prevent any further instances of sacrifice. We have a break where we sell snacks and things while everyone mingles, waiting for the main event. I take my chance to sneak off- I want to go on a hunt; I've felt my blood boiling ever since the class with Moody. I really need to hunt something, maybe kill. I've been running with the centaurs more and more this year; every time I get frustrated I go to them. They help me channel my rage and my animal instincts. Lupin last year, when he found out what I was, asked what I had done to myself, and his eyes looked so sad when he had asked. I didn't know why he looked so sad until now- it's hard and confusing and I'm prone to losing myself, and giving myself the added instincts of a wolf might not have been the best thing for my sanity. But the hunt helps.

I go on my own, quickly picking up a scent as soon as I transform. I stalk some bats, some rabbits, some magical creatures I can't identify but by smell…I finally catch a bat and take it between my teeth. I pause a moment, wondering if it's worth it, but then I hear its pulse and smell its fear and I feel all my anger and frustration well up and _snap_ , the neck breaks, the blood flows, and the bat dies. I feel satisfied and I make my way back to the camp- I couldn't have been gone more than a half hour.

The final match is over- the raven won after all. I laugh when I hear that, and scoot my way along the outskirts of the crowd who stay because they want to talk and be themselves and brag and drink and forget the Tournament and the other schools. I see twins' hair and I race over to them; they're with Jo, counting the profits. I tap Fred on the shoulder and he whips around, and he immediately starts when he sees me. George and Jo look aghast.

"What?" I ask, "I know I disappeared, but I came back. Don't be mad," I said. George looks away; Jo looks down into her lap. I look at Fred but he isn't looking me in the eyes- he's looking at my face. He reaches a shaky hand out and brushes his thumb across my lips and chin. When he pulls back his arm, I see his fingers are covered in blood. I gasp, wiping my face hastily and licking my lips. The blood doesn't take good to my human tongue and I gag.

"Are you okay? What the hell happened? Who did this to you- are you hurt? Is it your lip? A tooth?" Fred asks desperately, shaking my by the shoulders with a tight grip. I push him away and shake my head frantically; I wipe my face again and try to smile.

"Don't worry- you got it all wrong: it's not my blood," I try to explain. It was the wrong thing to say.


	24. 6-6 POV Jo

6.6 POV Jo

I know my fair share about muggles. I know they're wholly ridiculous, at least. I also know about their dances. Silly things- most of the music is dumb, and the good stuff comes from wizards and witches playing both sides of the fence. But young muggles, they have dances all the time- schools host them, they have clubs and parties and people just have them in basements and alleyways. Sounds stupid to me. Clubs I understand- concerts are so my scene. But formals and shit? No thank you.

Of course, as I ponder all this the mirror is telling a very different story- the story of a flouncy young thing blushing like bloody hell and smiling like an idiot from behind a layer of makeup. I look damn gorgeous. The dress- Cas picked it out. I never in a million years would have thought she'd be any little bit fashionable, but hot damn she did me right this time. I wish we could have gotten ready together, met the twins, and gone to this little shin-dig, but Houses and Houses and loyalties are loyalties. I'll just see her there, right? No problem.

I step out into the Common Room- it's a mess, as usual. This time there are people everywhere in their fancy dresses and tuxedoes, and clouds of perfume that mix and change every two steps you take. Honestly I worry about suffocating, but everyone else seems to be okay with it- I quickly realize it might have to do with the copious amounts of alcohol basically just lying around. Right as I notice this, a flask gets thrust in my face.

"Hey there, gorgeous," George says, beaming. I bite my tongue and grab the flask, taking a swig.

"You look ridiculous," I finally reply, blushing and smiling and rolling my eyes. George shoves me playfully.

"Ridiculously hot, you mean? I'm very well aware. You've got yourself a right catch tonight, Jo. And it looks like I do too," he says eying me. "That dress- bloody hell, girl," he says with a whistle.

Bloody hell is right, and I give him a twirl. It's black and red- dark and sexy. No straps, and- well, I don't quite know the lingo- it's not ruffly, but it's got this drapy look to it? Like a rose opening up upside-down. Well, it looks a fuck ton sexier than I can describe it. It's short- shorter than the other girls' dresses, but I've got nice black stockings, and to top it all off Cas found me these really nice red heels. They look like straight up red glass or some shit. They're horribly uncomfortable- I've never worn heels before, but it's worth it, and I can always change shoes right? George claps and we pass the flask back and forth awhile before we all notice it's time to head down.

We go down in couples like we're supposed to- everyone looks fantastic and the girls are pretty and the guys are sharp and even the teachers are looking like they took the time to remove the sticks from their asses for the night. The Great Hall has been transformed into a wonderland, full of snow and lights and good spirit and what have you. I notice there are a startling amount of mixed couples- like people asked people from the other schools. I guess that's kind of part of the point of the Tournament and the Ball in general, but still there's a bit of resentment and maybe a sense of betrayal. Hermione, that friend of Ron's, she came with Viktor Krum. He's someone I would have said yes to, sure- my problem is: why her? She's even worse than Cas when it comes to Quidditch and shit. Tonight she's beautiful- got this lavender gown and her hairs a lot less frizzy than normal, but still part of me wonders why her and not me? Not that I've ever said two words to the guy.

That's when I see it- see him. Fred. He looks, well, just like George in every way except that he isn't George. But, he's alone. I start swinging my head around looking to where she could be- I don't see her by the snacks or punch, or talking with any groups of Slytherin people, or anywhere. I grab George's arm and we force our way over to Fred. He's with Lee- they're just talking. We all say hi and hug and shake hands like the formal wankers we have to be for the night, and I pull Fred aside. I can tell he knows what I'm about to say, but I don't get the chance.

Dumbledore and McGonagall are saying something and the Champions are taking the center of the dance floor and this really horrendous waltz is starting up. George edges his way back to my side, and we watch as everyone begins dancing. After the initial hoopla I lean into Fred.

"Where's Cas?" I ask, a little harshly. He stiffens and I just take a peek at his face- he's red and his eyes might be a little wet. I feel a knot tightening in my stomach. He shakes his head and I bite my lip. George takes my hand before I can say anything to him and he drags me into the fray and tries to get me to waltz. We all had to learn the dance, and he's not the worst in the world, but I have a bad habit of trying to lead, so it's a little messy to say the least. After the third time we bump into someone, we totally lose it and start laughing, and get ourselves off the dance floor. I see Fred still alone, horribly, pathetically alone, and I go to offer him a dance. I get to him and open my mouth when his eyes light up. I whip around, and there, an hour late and trying her best to lurk in unnoticed, is Cas. She's at the top of the stairs, weirdly graceful looking as she descends slowly. George catches up and sees her too, and we're all a little startled.

The dress. It's long and silky, a green so dark it looks like an oil spill cascading down her body and pooling around her feet. There are two straps that loop around her shoulders, and her hair is softly curled, brushing just below her ears. Her hair looks like oil too- black and that dark shimmering green, with flecks of silver reflecting the candlelight. She sees us watching her and picks up her pace. As she gets up to us, Fred steps forward, and I see it all-

He grabs her by the cheeks and pulls her to him, and he kisses her passionately. He twirls her and she laughs, smiling the way she hasn't smiled in months, and he kisses her again and they go to the dance floor and take the center and dance like no one else can.

Of course, this is Cas and Fred we're talking about. That, as beautiful as it sounds, is completely ridiculous and would never in a million years happen. What does happen is that Fred steps forward and Cas hugs him, whispering apologies. He holds her back to get a better look, and forces her against her will to spin for us. The back of the dress is astounding- there's no back, just a giant golden snake slithering up her spine, with little gold chains holding it in place. Cas pales and tries to get us to move or talk or do something that involves her not being the center of attention. She makes a few snide remarks, we laugh, and Fred just looks at her with this admiration and care and I want to hit Cas or something, because impossible as it seems to me, I don't think she sees it too.

I turn to ask George if he sees what I'm seeing, and something happens. I look into his eyes, and I see that same light I see in Fred's eyes. But George is looking at me. He smiles and gives me his hand, and the four of us go into the dance floor. George and I are a little better than our first time around, and from what I can see Cas and Fred are actually pretty damn good. It's kind of surprising- I'd have thought they'd have the same trouble as me and George with the whole leading thing, but it seems Cas is just fine letting Fred take control. It doesn't seem like her at all, but I don't really think on it much. I'm thinking about George, and enjoying our dance, and smiling and blushing and having fun.

It goes on for hours like this, and the music picks up for a while to something a little more age-appropriate and fast and fun. There's a couples dance and the four of us just switch around. I nearly say something to Fred about Cas and how happy they seem together, but I hold back. We talk about Quidditch and people's outfits and how dumb dances are, and we smile, and the song is over. More fast stuff, we take a break for a bit, and then go back into it. Hours are flying by, and then the music slows down. George pulls me close and we just start swaying. I kind of lay my head into his chest, and his arms are just wrapped around me, and we're barely moving. We're just together. It feels like forever, and I never feel so empty as when the song ends and George takes his arms off from around me.

I take his hand before anything else can happen- I pull him out of the Great Hall, then out of the Castle, and then we're crossing the grounds into the Dark Forest, and then we're alone in the dark and I'm kissing him. We're running and kissing and laughing and then we trip and we're on the ground, still kissing.

"I think I love you, Jolene Zocchi," he tells me, and I start laughing like nothing before. He's laughing too.

"I know I love you, George Weasley," I tell him. I pull his tux off of him, and then his tie, and the shirt and well, everything eventually comes off. We make love and I know it's real. I love George- I've loved him a long time. Maybe as long as I've known him. I don't know; I don't care. I just know that now, in this moment, I couldn't love anyone more than I love him.


	25. 6-7 POV Cas

Year 6-7 POV Cas

There's a reason I never wear dresses- you can't run for shit in them. Sure, you can spin and everyone will ooh and ahh at you, but that's not worth it. The center of attention has never been my scene. That aside, it's really the running that pisses me off. I worked harder than I care to admit picking out Ball dresses for me and Jo, and I did a damn good job. Jo was a smash in hers- it was the perfect mix of formal and spunky, and people noticed. It fit her body and her personality from tip to toe. George noticed.

My dress, I put just as much time into. I wanted to be, well, beautiful. Who doesn't want to be? It was set to be the perfect night, but it didn't end quite the way I'd hoped. It didn't begin as expected either…

There was a letter waiting for me in the owlry. I had gone to send my Christmas letters, and there was an owl with a note folded up with my name on it. I recognized the script. Miles.

 _I'll be blunt: I'm hoping you've gotten this schooling thing out of your system. It's Christmas, and I had hoped to be spending it with you by my side. I've seen it, Cassidy. Our army is growing by the day and I can't see why you're still not here. I can pick you up tonight. Leave this foolish life behind. The war can't be long off. Something is coming. I'll pick you up when you're ready. I miss my Cassidy. –Miles_

I didn't know what to do. He could have picked me up that night. I could have left the dress in my wardrobe next to my robes, grabbed my wand, and disappeared. It really was that simple. I thought about it; I really did. School isn't challenging me, and isn't going back to Miles my plan anyway? So why not last night?

Part of it really was the dress. I saw the damn thing and thought it'd be a sin if I never got to wear it. So I put it on and did my make-up and hair and got ready like all the other girls. I was ready to go when all the others left. I was sitting on my bed strapping the damn heels on when they started shuffling out. Then I couldn't physically get myself to move. Fred was waiting in the Great Hall. Miles was waiting just beyond the castle grounds, I assumed. What was I supposed to do? For awhile I just sat contemplating. Then I got frustrated, tore the dress off and nearly turned. I calmed myself down, put the dress back on, and heard the bells toll. I was late, and Fred and Jo and George were expecting me. I had told Miles I was waiting another year, so another year we would both have to wait.

I got to the stairs and saw everyone dancing and laughing and having fun, and I nearly turned around. I hate noise and crowds and frivolity. But pushed myself ahead, and finally saw Jo and the twins, and there was no going back. Fred nearly leapt on my when I finally got there. I gave him a hug and apologized over and over, even once he pulled me onto the dance floor and started spinning me around. It was a nice dance, I guess. I had fun, even though I spent the entire night with a pit in my stomach. I kept seeing a shadow in the corner of my eye, and I kept thinking it was Miles. I could see him standing there in the cold and dark, expecting an owl to let him know I was ready.

After a few hours of dancing I was finally able to put him out of my mind and focus on the people who were actually with me. Fred didn't once want to leave the dance floor, but the rest of us didn't share his perseverance. I tried, for his sake, but I needed a break or two through the night. I danced with Lee too, and at one point when we went to get drinks we were able to catch up- we both missed our time together in the commentator's box at Quidditch matches. We made plans to meet up once in awhile.

That's around the time when the music slowed down. I had missed all the previous slow dances, but apparently there was one last one. I hate slow music. It makes me sad; like it's trying to get your whole world to slow down just to make you dwell on all those things you're trying to keep yourself busy to avoid. I know I've got a lot of those things. But the music slowed down, and Fred popped up. He didn't let me protest, just grabbed my hand and dragged me onto the floor. I saw Jo and George swaying in each other's arms. She had her head on his shoulder and he had his head resting on hers. It would have been sweet if it weren't so sappy.

Fred had me held tight, tighter than I was comfortable with, so I made a little distance. His eyes were boring into me, and I knew he wanted me to look at him. I wanted to- I wanted to just wrap my arms around him like Jo was doing, but I couldn't. That shadow in the corner of my eye was back, and so was the pit in my stomach. I did my best to keep the rhythm, but even that was becoming difficult. I felt Fred's mood change.

"What's the matter, Cas?" I jerked my neck and looked him dead in the eyes, a smile popping on my face to hide where my thoughts had been.

"Nothing's wrong!" He didn't smile back and I felt myself paling and panicking.

"Cas, come on. I want this to be a special night. What is it?"

"Just talk to me, my mind's drifting, that's all."

"Well, actually I did want to talk to you," he said, and that certainly got my attention. He sounded serious the way people sound serious right before they ruin everything.

"Cas, I really- li-"

"Don't!" I gasped. The music had changed, to another slow song. God damn. I wasn't swaying anymore. "Don't say it, Fred. You can't do that. Not now." I told him. A little bit of light left his eyes.

"Why not? Cas, I need to say this now-" I saw my chance and took it- I broke off and twirled myself into Lee's arms. He was shocked, but smooth as ever, and we danced. Fred was hovering, I could see. I kept trying to find where Jo and George went, but they weren't on the floor, and I didn't see them on the fringes, and I couldn't make them out by the snacks or drinks. The song ended and Lee gave me proper little bow and a kiss on the back of my hand, and the music picked up and the floor was swarmed. I jumped from group to group for an hour, avoiding Fred and trying to find Jo. When I concluded Jo just wasn't dancing, I broke free from the crowd. I started asking around, but no one could help. My heart was racing- I was scared. I was panicking.

"Cassidy Walker!" Fred snapped, grabbing me by my shoulder and spinning me to look at him. He grabbed me by both shoulders and leaned in and I knew he was trying to kiss me. I shut my eyes and pushed him away. When I opened my eyes, I saw something I never thought I'd see- Fred was angry.

"Don't you dare, Cas! Don't you push me away! You feel it too, I know you do. And for some fucking reason you try to shut me out, but you can't. You can't ignore what we have, and for fuck's sake I will not let you run away from this," He grabbed my arms and I couldn't pull away, and he leaned in again to kiss me. I turned my head away and shut my eyes, braced against him. He couldn't be seriously doing this, not now. Not tonight. Miles might be right outside. Miles could be watching- what would he say? He'd drag me away into the night to fight in the war tomorrow. He'd probably kill Fred first.

"Oi!" Some gruff voice barked, and Fred was pried off of me. My heart stopped. Miles? I opened my eyes to see some guy standing between me and Fred. It took me a second to realize it was Viktor Krum, one of the Champions. He pushed Fred away. There was a small circle of people watching the drama.

"The lady said no," Krum barked at Fred. "Are you okay, my lady?" He asked, turning to me. I looked back and forth at the two boys with eyes intent on me. I finally landed on Krum and nodded silently, letting him take my arm and lead me away. I walked away from Fred, confused and frustrated.

"My date has abandoned me, it seems. Will we dance?" Krum asked. I looked into his cold eyes and nodded again. He smiles and pulled a flask out from his robe, taking a sip and offering it to me. I took it gladly. We danced for awhile, Viktor talking and me only half-listening. We emptied his flask and danced closer and closer as the music sped up. People had been leaving the Hall for a long time. Not many of us were left, and I was done dancing.

"I think I'm going to go, Viktor," I finally said. They were my first words to him all night. He nodded and walked me out of the Hall.

"Thank you for…helping me, earlier. I'm sorry your date left you so soon, but in some ways I guess I owe her my gratitude," I said, bowing my head. Viktor laughed.

"I am also sorry she left, but I am glad I found you. There are some of us going to…continue the party, if you would like to be my date a little longer?" He asked. I knew the look in his eye, and part of me wanted to say fuck it, yes, let's go Quidditch boy. It wasn't a particularly small part either. But it wasn't big enough. I smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Not tonight, Viktor. I'll see you at your next challenge," I told him. He smiled and shrugged, and we parted ways. It was late- very late, and I realized I still didn't know where Jo was, but had a desperate need to talk to her. So I started searching.

I'm still searching. I scoured the halls, went to the Fat Lady and everything. No one's seen her- George either. I have no idea where they are, and dawn is breaking. I haven't slept and I'm sick with worry and anxiety and the beginning stages of hangover. The idea hits me- they went out, to the clearly to play Quidditch or stage a tournament. Plenty of Gryffindors are missing, where else would they go if not the common room?

I stumble out onto the grounds, still in my dress and heels. The cold morning air wakes me up a bit, but quickly it's too much for me and I'm shivering. I stumble my way to the entrance to the Forest, where I finally claw the damn shoes off my feel and continue on bear foot. I know the Forest like the back of my hands at this point, and I go to the clearly where we held all the gambling events. Nothing. Now I'm really getting scared. I start wandering at random, yelling Jo's name. Where the fuck is she? Answer me! Jo? Jo? Jo?

I see it. Red fabric torn on a bush. I trip as I run to it, but get there panting to find the dress cold and empty. No Jo. I look up and around the bush and see something that nearly makes me vomit. It's A basset hound curled up, and ferret curled right alongside it. I see a tuxedo jacket, shirt, trousers, bra, pants, and panties thrown everywhere. No…

I hear my growls curling in the back of my throat, and the change tears through me like fire. Once I'm a wolf my instincts kick in and in two seconds I've got George by his little doggy throat between my teeth. He's yipping and whining, and Jo's awake. She chatters for a second before chaging into herself, but seeing her naked doesn't calm me any; in fact, I bite harder into George and may or may not taste the metallic tang of animal blood. Jo is screaming at me, covering herself with George's formalwear. She's yelling at me to stop, but I just growl more, and shake the little hound for good measure. Murder if definitely on my mind, and they both know it. I turn and am about to run off when there's another shout, and I'm ambushed.

Fred hits me over the nose with his wand. It smarts, and I snarl at him. He hits me again and again.

"No! Bad Cas! Put him down!" He snaps with each whip of his wand. Finally it's too much and I let George drop to the ground, and he scampers off to Jo, who picks him up and holds and snuggles him, checking his neck to see if he's hurt. I hope he is. Fred is glowering at me, still keeping me at wand-point, but this time I don't think he's just threatening me with a little tap on the nose. He's got anger in his eyes like last night. Good. I'm angry too.

Fred and I don't take our eyes off each other as George changes back, and he and Jo scramble to dress themselves. Fred then threatens me if I don't change back, so I do. He lowers his wand, and George and Jo approach, half-dressed and gripping what they couldn't get back on. I'm gripped by a new experience- my wolf-instincts. In a snap I leap onto George, knocking him over, and I hit him over and over. Admittedly they're not the most effective blows, but I'm emotional and back in my frailer form, so it's the best I can do.

"How could you?!" I shout, "She's a child for fuck's sake! How could you, you pervert, you mother-fucker!" I scream as I land blow after blow. Fred finally picks me up with embarrassing ease, and Jo brings George to his feet. I'm writing and struggling, but I can't get out of Fred's grip. He puts me down finally, and I get my breath and most of my composure.

"It was my choice, you moron," Jo says, rolling her eyes at me and clinging to George. "And he- this wasn't my first time," she added, and that shocked both me and Fred. George doesn't seem fazed. That means her and Wood…

I don't know why, but that is the final straw, and I feel my eyes start spilling tears and a knot swell up in my throat, so I whimper and change back into a wolf, and tear away from them all. I run and run until I can't hear their voices. I turn back into myself, still in the stupid dress but without the shoes, so I fall to the ground and just start crying. One thought echoes in my mind.

 _It's not too late_. _I can still choose Miles._


	26. 6-8 POV Jo

Year 6-8 POV Jo

I haven't seen Cas since the Ball. We've had more Quidditch tournaments and parties in the Forest, but she hasn't come or even asked to share in the profits. What few classes we have, she shows up late for and sits as far from us as she can. She doesn't talk or even look at us. She ignores when we try to get her attention by throwing notes and shit. And by 'we', I mean me and George. Fred…it seems like Fred's stopped fighting.

George, well, he's a whole other story. We're dating, George and I. Some might say we're in love. Considering he did tell me he loves me on our first day, and I did reciprocate, I guess we'd say we're in love too. It's not like it was when I was dating Oliver. Nothing's really changed between George and I, except when we go out alone there's some kissing. And some nights I join him in the boys' dorm in ferret-form. We're not obnoxious or anything. We never had a big public coming out, and so it took some time for people to catch on that now when we sit together in the Great Hall at meals or whisper to each other in classes or sneak off onto the grounds on our own, it's not quite so innocent all the time anymore. People, as far as I can tell, are rather happy about me and George. I know I am.

Fred though, it's rough with him. We're not spending any less time with him, but when we are with him it's awkward. For a few days after the Ball he and Cas caused some scenes- well, he caused scenes, and Cas ignored him, slithered off, or allowed people to run Fred off for her. When we finally asked Fred what was going on, why she was mad at him of all people, he refused to answer. A couple of Durmstrang boys filled us in about Krum apparently having to save Cas from Fred at the Ball. I nearly laughed when they said that, but they were dead serious. George and I couldn't believe it. Still can't.

Thing is, it's been months and we've come to accept it. Cas and Fred never see each other, although they each spend time with us. Cas though, she disappears more and more often. We've considered trying to get the Map back from Harry to trace her movements, but we're not that desperate yet. Wherever it is she's going, she always comes back, and that's all that really matters in the end.

George is holding my hand as we walk into the arena- it's time for the final task. Like the second one we won't really be able to witness what's going on during the challenge itself, but you can bet we'll be here when the Champion emerges victorious. All four Champions are still in play, which is a little surprising- especially Harry. The kid's hella young and clearly isn't as experienced as the other three. That plus all the pressure the school's been putting on him to drop out, well, cheers to him for plowing through. George and I sit down, and we see Fred walking in with some Slytherin kids, but we wave him over for good measure. He raises a hand but sits down a good ways away from us. Cas walks in with Lee. They've been getting close again, and part of me hopes that they turn out to be dating in secret or something. Anything that would indicate Cas is okay and not crazy anymore. George raises a hand to them, but Cas either doesn't look or doesn't acknowledge him, and they sit down with a mixed group of friends elsewhere. That's perfectly okay by us, as long as everyone has someone George and I are content to be sitting just the two of us.

Dumbledore kicks of the festivities by explaining the challenge: a giant-ass maze filled with magical booby-traps. In the center is the TriWizard Cup, and whoever gets to it first is the Champion. Simple enough. The band is playing and the crowd is roaring as the Champions enter the maze.

Time passes. We can't see anything going on. The band is still playing but the crowd has lost some of its enthusiasm. People are talking in groups and milling around and some have even left. I can't blame them- waiting is hellish.

Hours go by. Fred and his friends have broken up, and most of them have left. Cas and Lee are talking, and I see as Fred crosses through to get to them. Lee sees it too and he jumps up to get between Fred and Cas. Fred is gesturing to Cas, then saying something to Lee, then screaming over Lee's shoulder at Cas. I squeeze George's hand and we look at each other. George gets up and we both go towards Fred. He's done his yelling and is turning around, but George yells at him to stop.

"What the bloody hell was that?" George asks. Fred flips him off and tries to shove past us.

"Fred, please!" I cry at him. He looks at me, and his eyes are filled with anger.

"What can I say? The bitch lost her mind. She's not worth it. Not worth a damn," he growls, pushing past me. I feel like I can't catch my breath. I go to go to Cas, but Lee stops me.

"Not you too, Lee. Please, I gotta talk to her."

"She's not having it right now, I'm-" I don't let him finish. I shove by him and plant myself firmly next to Cas. George has gone after Fred, so I'm hoping he'll be able to sort things out on that end. Cas is looking from me to Lee and back.

"Oh, drop the fucking act," I tell her, "What the hell happened at the Ball between you and Fred that's so bloody unforgivable? You've gotten over me and George enough to talk to us at least, and we abandoned you at a party to fuck in the Forest. Nothing Fred did could be any worse than that, am I right?" I ask, trying to play it lighthearted. She doesn't laugh.

"He's ruined everything. We can't be friends and he's made that clear, and now he can't let it go," she explains. I'm underwhelmed by her response.

"Remember the year before last, when Ginny went missing and we had spent the year being bitches to each other and we promised to appreciate and forgive and be friends with each other? Remember that teary-eyed speech you gave us all? Was that a fucking joke to you, Cas? Was it all a lie?"

"Of course it wasn't a bloody lie- don't give me that bullshit. I want to make things right, but he won't let me. It's all screaming and yelling with him. Why do I even have to explain this to you? This is bullshit- I don't have to be here. I can leave any time I goddam please, you know that? Miles- "

Someone starts cheering and shouting from the stands, and our attention is pulled to the center of the arena. A Champion! Everyone starts gasping and cheering. We can't make out who it is- they're on their knees- something seems wrong…

A scream rips through the dying applause, and then there's almost silence. All silent but for some sobbing. Sobbing from the center of the arena- from the Champion. Harry Potter, sobbing and gripping something-someone?- Cedric. There are whispers and screaming and Professors are flooding the area, and Cedric's dad- his dad is holding his body now wailing and moaning. Cedric is dead? No, he can't be. He can't be. I turn into George and he hugs me into him, hiding my face in his shirt, stroking my ponytail and rubbing my back. He's shaking, and so am I, but we're both silent. People are screaming and crying and running around us, and I'm scared I'll lose it too. If George lets go of me, I feel like I'd be a balloon without an anchoring, and I'd float away and never come back. I grip him tighter for the fear of it.

The area is cleared, and George and I allow ourselves to be herded to our Common Room. Normally we'd never let that happen. We fight our way out of the pack and go find Fred and Cas and we'd spend the night together in some random room talking or just sitting together. After an hour I ask George if we can go to the room, the one we always meet in. He looks at me with sad and tired eyes, but he nods and we go hand in hand off to the room. We find a fox sleeping on the couch, and Cas on the other side of the room curled up in a chair as herself. She's been crying. We sit down on the floor in between the two of them.

"I came in and he was like this," Cas whispers. I nod at her. She needs us to know they weren't in here alone together. I believe her.

"Why?" George asks, and Cas looks at him with puffy eyes.

"Why what?"

"Why does this shit happen every year?"

"Our school is cursed," Cas responds with a small smile, and George laughs. He laughs this sad, resigned laugh, and then I'm laughing too. Cas smiles and her tears start streaming again, and I'm laughing and crying at the same time.

"I didn't know him," Cas says. I nod my head. I didn't know him well myself.

"It still hurts," I tell her.

"I know," she whispers back. With a sniffle she turns into a wolf and hops off the chair and curls up next to me, and I put my cheek against her soft head and I wrap my arms around her neck. We fall asleep at some point, and when I wake up it's just me and George and Fred, in fox form, curled up in between us. Cas is gone, and I'm no longer surprised.


End file.
